System Configuration Engineer – Intermediate
at Thales Canada Inc., Defence and Security

Job Description

Location: Ottawa, Canada

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

For decades, Ottawa has been a global technology leader. Today, Canada's capital holds one of the brightest and most diverse technological ecosystems in North America. Voted as Canada's best place to live 2017 by Maclean's, Ottawa offers a low cost of living with a high quality of life. The Thales Ottawa office has been a major supplier and long-term trusted partner to DND, enabling the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard to achieve mission success.

Ottawa ON., Halifax N.S., (CAN,), Hybrid

Position Summary

Thales Canada Inc is seeking a Systems Configuration Engineer (Intermediate) to support Engineering Change and Configuration Management (CM) process across its Development and Naval In-Service Support (ISS) programs. This role ensures the effective governance, traceability, and integrity of engineering changes throughout the system lifecycle.
The successful candidate will act as the primary Configuration Management point of contact, supporting Engineering Change initiatives and contributing strategically to the establishment and maintenance of product baselines. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Systems Configuration Engineer will ensure that engineering changes to data, documentation, and system configurations are clearly defined, traceable, controlled, and visible from initiation through implementation.

Key Areas of Responsibility 

•    Provide Configuration Management and systems engineering support for Engineering Change Management (ECM) processes under In-Service Support (ISS) contracts. Manage and support the end-to-end engineering change process, ensuring compliance with established CM policies, standards, and governance frameworks.
•    Ensure system documentation is produced, reviewed, approved, and controlled in accordance with program and regulatory requirements. Evaluate Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs), including deviations, waivers, and corrective actions.
•    Assess technical, operational, safety, and supportability impacts of proposed changes. Prepare and Support Change Control Boards (CCBs) meetings, including agenda preparation, with technical analysis and decision tracking and recommendation.  
•    Assess proposed changes for technical impact, safety, risk, and compliance, supporting safe and effective implementation.
•    Maintain accurate and reliable configuration data to support system availability, safety, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness.
•    Collaborate with engineering, operations, maintenance, logistics, and program management teams to preserve system integrity while enabling upgrades, defect resolution, and continuous improvement. Drive Configuration Management priorities and best practices through structured governance and continuous process improvement. Support Engineering Change configuration audits (FCA/PCA) and compliance reviews.
•    Provide systems engineering support for fault investigation, defect resolution, and obsolescence management. Support root cause analysis and corrective action planning for in-service issues. Ensure system modifications maintain compliance with requirements, standards, and safety cases.
•    Support system upgrades, refresh activities, and capability insertions. Support maintenance of system specifications, interface control documents, drawings, and as-built configurations.  Liaise with customers, OEMs, suppliers, and internal teams. Support ISS contract deliverables, reporting, and performance metrics. Contribute to risk management, continuous improvement, and lessons learned activities.

Minimum Qualifications
Essential
•    Post-secondary degree/diploma in Systems Engineering, Electrical, Mechanical, Software Engineering, or related discipline from a recognized institution, a bachelor's degree is preferred. 
•    Strong understanding of technical Engineering design change management principals. 
•    Proven experience in In-Service Support or through-life engineering environments. 
•    Intermediate understanding of Configuration Management principles, practices, and standards. 
•    Experience with change control processes and Configuration Control Boards.
•    Familiarity with military /commercials CM and documentation related specification and standard (Such as ANSI/EIA 649).
•    Familiarity with software PLM tools for managing technical data (SAP, Maximo, Wind-chill, JIRA).
•    Proven Ability to read and interpret drawings. Proficiency performing configuration verifications and audits.

If you're excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Preferred Qualifications

•    Post-secondary certification in Engineering or similar technical discipline, a bachelor's degree is preferred. 
•    3+ years of work experience as a Configuration Management Specialist in an Engineering environment or experience working on In-service Support or Capital Projects.
•    Experience working in shipbuilding, naval or aerospace industries.
•    Experience working with PLM software such as Windchill, ARAS Innovator or other PLM system. 

Special Position Requirements

 Schedule: 40 hours weekly Monday through Friday

 Physical Environment: Onsite and remote in Ottawa or Halifax

 Travel: Occasional domestic travel may be required 

What We Offer
* Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
* Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
* Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
* Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
* Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
* Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Why Join Us?

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The reference Total Target Compensation(TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 66,646.80 - 124,407.36 CAD Annual

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following: 

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave. 

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.