Operations Manager

Location:

Salt Lake City, United States of America

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short-range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle-space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

Operations Manager

Salt Lake City, UT (Hybrid)

Position Summary

Thales is looking for an Operations Manager, whose role serves as a senior strategic leader responsible for shaping and advancing enterprise-level operational excellence through the design, governance, and continuous evolution of business systems, processes, and performance frameworks. This role operates across the organization to translate business strategy into scalable operational models that enable long-term growth, efficiency, and resilience.

In this position, you will provide expert leadership in diagnosing complex operational challenges, architecting data-driven solutions, and guiding large-scale, multi-year transformation initiatives. Leveraging advanced analytics, performance metrics, and financial modeling, you will deliver executive-level insights that inform strategic decision-making and investment prioritization. You will also act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, exercising stewardship over major program and project portfolios while fostering cross-functional alignment, disciplined execution, and a culture of continuous improvement and operational accountability.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

* US - CUI Regulatory Compliance Requirement - Must be a US Person as defined in applicable law.

Key Areas of Responsibility

* Diagnose and architect enterprise-wide operational improvements by evaluating complex business processes, systems, and performance models to identify systemic inefficiencies, scalability risks, and opportunities for sustained value creation.

* Develop and govern strategic business cases for transformation initiatives, including total cost of ownership, ROI, risk assessment, and value realization models, to support executive decision-making and investment prioritization.

* Lead the end-to-end design and orchestration of large-scale, enterprise-wide process and system transformations, establishing target-state operating models, standards, and implementation roadmaps aligned with organizational strategy, while ensuring enterprise compliance and operational integrity through integration of regulatory requirements, internal controls, and risk considerations.

* Define and validate business requirements at an enterprise level by facilitating executive and cross-functional stakeholder engagements, synthesizing qualitative and quantitative inputs into clear, scalable solutions, and serving as a strategic integrator across functions to align priorities, resolve trade-offs, and ensure cohesive delivery of complex initiatives.

* Establish and leverage advanced analytics, KPIs, and performance frameworks to provide executive-level insights, monitor operational health, measure the effectiveness and sustainability of improvement initiatives, and continuously evaluate post-implementation outcomes to ensure benefits realization, adoption, and refinement.

* Provide oversight and governance of major program and project portfolios, including prioritization, resource planning, financial stewardship, and risk management; translate complex data and operational insights into executive-ready communications; lead organizational change through influence and thought leadership; embed a culture of continuous improvement through best practices and coaching; and assess emerging technologies and trends to enhance operational maturity and long-term competitiveness.

Minimum Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree (Master's or equivalent) preferred.

* Extensive experience (typically 8+ years) in operations, business transformation, enterprise process improvement, or systems optimization roles, with demonstrated progression in scope, complexity, and influence.

* Advanced proficiency in data analytics, reporting, and decision-support tools, including Excel, SQL, business intelligence platforms, and performance dashboards, with the ability to translate data into executive-level insights.

* Expert-level understanding of business process architecture, operating models, value streams, and enterprise business systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, workflow or automation platforms), including system integration, optimization, governance considerations, and the ability to design target-state processes that scale across functions and geographies.

* Strong command of continuous improvement and…