Coastal Planning Team Lead
at Thales Canada Inc., Defence and Security

Job Description

Location: Halifax - Wilkinson, 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.

Position Summary
 

The Coastal Planning Lead is responsible for the strategic oversight, management, and development of the Coastal Planning team. This role serves as the lead strategist for maintenance scheduling, ensuring all activities align with contractual requirements, company goals, and applicable Maintenance Programs.
 

The Lead acts as the coastal point of contact for clients, senior management, and the PMO Planning Group regarding resource forecasting and long-term maintenance projections (1-year, 5-year, and 10-year plans). Beyond technical scheduling, the Team Lead is accountable for the continuous improvement of departmental processes, KPI monitoring, and the career development of team members, ensuring the delivery of accurate and timely reporting for ships homeported on their respective coast.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Strategic Planning & Oversight

• Scheduling Strategy: Lead the overall maintenance scheduling strategy, ensuring consistent alignment with contractual obligations and organizational objectives.

• SDAOP & Forecasting: Provide 5-year maintenance forecasts (SDAOP) to the PMO for cost estimation and develop annual plans identifying requirements for upcoming Fiscal Years.

• Project Validation: Lead activities related to preparing, organizing, and validating annual and individual Work Period maintenance schedules.

• Process Improvement: Maintain accountability for the continuous improvement of scheduling processes, methodologies, and software tools.
   

Stakeholder Management & Liaison
 

• Primary Point of Contact: Act as the lead liaison for clients (DND), senior management, and the PMO regarding all scheduling, resource forecasting, and maintenance planning matters.

• Resource Loading: Support the PMO Planning Group by providing critical data for resource forecasting and identifying suitable project execution strategies.
   

Performance Monitoring & Execution
 

• KPI Accountability: Responsible for tracking, monitoring, and reporting performance against all contractual KPIs; identify and analyze variances to drive corrective actions.

• Schedule Maintenance: Oversee the preparation, monitoring, and maintenance of work period lists and integrated schedules throughout the year.

• Data Reconciliation: Reconcile system-generated performance data with actual project performance through regular communication with ship teams and Performance Managers.

• Reporting: Prepare and distribute comprehensive reports and charts detailing project schedule progress, performance trends, and areas of concern.
   

People Management
 

• Team Leadership: Supervise the Coastal Planning Team (planning, organizing, leading, and controlling) to achieve agreed-upon outcomes within delegated authorities.

• Career Development: Responsible for the career aspirations, coaching, mentoring, and professional growth of team members.

• HR Administration: Manage all "Workday" actions for the team and lead efforts to meet productivity, quality, and continuous improvement goals.

• Recruitment & Onboarding: Collaborate with Human Resources to recruit, interview, and select qualified staff, while fostering a spirit of teamwork and unity within the department.

Health, Safety & Environment (HS&E)
 

• Compliance: Comply with and ensure team compliance with all relevant HS&E legislative requirements, policies, and procedures to minimize accidental exposures to personnel or the environment.

• Leadership: Demonstrate HS&E leadership in a professional and supportive manner, actively promoting Thales's Health, Safety, and Environmental programs.

Basic Qualifications
 

Skills and Abilities
 

• Professional Experience: Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience within the last 7 years performing planning, scheduling, production and maintenance of integrated master schedules for multi-disciplined projects, including resource loading and schedule interpretation.

• Team Guidance: Demonstrated experience in a lead capacity, providing guidance, mentoring, and coordination for multi-disciplinary teams to ensure performance objectives are met.

• Communication: Excellent communications skills including the ability to prepare and present reports to a range of audiences.

• Interpersonal Skills: Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to promote cooperation at all levels.
   

Technical/Specialized Knowledge
 

• Competency in the use of specialized Scheduling Tools and Maintenance Management Systems.

• Sound knowledge of project planning principles and demonstrated analytical skills.

• Previous experience in the shipbuilding, repair, or marine maintenance industry is highly desirable.

• Advanced computing skills, specifically within the Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred Qualifications

Technical Software:

• Experience in the following software:

  • MS Project

  • IBM Maximo

  • Isherwoods MIS

  • SAP Plant Maintenance (DRMIS)

  • JIRA

  • MS Excel (Advanced)
     

Education

• Primary: College Graduate with preferable trade experience OR;

• Advanced: Post graduate qualifications or trainings in Business, Finance/Accounting, Project Management, or Engineering will be looked upon favorably.

Physical Demands
Predominantly working onsite in the Naval Dockyard and onboard Naval Vessels, will also be required to work from the office or from home.

Regulatory Compliance Requirements: 

Canada
•    Controlled Goods Program Clearance    
•    Security Clearance

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?

Say HI and learn more about working at Thales click here.

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 101,200.00- 126,500.00 CDN Annual.

,This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including – but not limited to – the employee's career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company's annual salary budget, the customer's program requirements, and the company's internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's status protected by local, state, or federal law.

We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description.  All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.

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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.