Team Manager Radar Engineering

Location: Hengelo, Netherlands

Somewhere right now, a naval crew trusts their lives to a radar system we built. That responsibility shapes everything we do. In today’s rapidly shifting defense landscape, demand for our fire control radars is at an all-time high; our customers cannot afford to wait, and neither can we. To scale our engineering capacity, we are splitting our largest Radar Engineering team into two focused teams of around 25 engineers each. We are looking for leaders who understand what it means to do work that truly matters.

About Thales Nederland
Thales Nederland is a world leader in naval radar, producing systems that push the boundaries of physics and engineering. With approximately 2,000 employees in Hengelo and backed by the Thales Group (70,000+ employees across 50+ countries), we combine the focus and intensity of a dedicated radar house with the reach of one of Europe’s largest defense electronics companies.

About the Role
You will lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately 25 engineers: system engineers, radar specialists, and IVVQ (Integration, Verification, Validation & Qualification) evaluators. Together, your team owns the full engineering lifecycle of our fire control radar products from concept definition and system design through integration, test, and delivery to the customer.

This is not a role where you simply allocate resources and track progress. The best engineering teams don’t just execute; they solve problems nobody has fully defined yet, across disciplines that don’t always speak the same language. Your job is to be the person who connects the dots: between people, between technical domains, and between what the team delivers today and what it needs to become tomorrow.

What you will do:

• Lead, develop, and inspire a team of approximately 25 engineering professionals across system engineering, specialist, and IVVQ disciplines

• Create the conditions in which talented engineers do their best work — by removing obstacles, building trust, and setting clear direction without micromanaging

• Own predictable delivery of engineering objectives in close collaboration with project and program management

• Bring your own technical judgment to bear: you understand radar and systems engineering deeply enough to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions

• Shape the team’s future: manage capacity, develop competences, and attract new talent in a rapidly growing organization

• Contribute to the strategic direction of Radar Engineering alongside the Head of Discipline and fellow team leaders

• You report directly to the Head of Discipline, Radar System Engineering.

About You

• You are someone who has chosen to lead not because it was the obvious career step, but because you believe that how a team works together determines what it can achieve. You combine real technical depth with the generosity and patience to develop others.

• 10+ years of experience in radar, RF, or systems engineering, with hands-on understanding of the challenges in developing complex sensor systems

• Proven people management experience: you have led engineering teams and know that leadership is daily work, not a title

• A relevant degree in electronics engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical discipline

• The ability to translate between worlds you explain complex technical reality to stakeholders and connect strategic priorities back to your team in a way that motivates

• An entrepreneurial mindset: you see constraints as design parameters, not roadblocks. You default to action and bring others along

• Fluent in Dutch and English

What We Offer
Thales is an organization where deep expertise is valued and invested in. You will work alongside some of the most knowledgeable radar engineers in the world, on systems that define the global state of the art. We offer:

• A leadership role on technology that is, quite literally, the best in the world and the mandate to help keep it that way

• A team of skilled, dedicated professionals who care about their craft

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package

• Real investment in your growth: training, development, and a career path in an organization that is scaling fast

• A socially responsible employer that takes genuine care of its people and values work-life balance

• Location: Hengelo, in the heart of Twente

Security
Due to the nature of our work in defense, this position requires a successful security clearance (Verklaring van Geen Bezwaar, VGB) issued by the AIVD. Thales will guide you through this process.

Interested?
If you’re ready to lead a team that builds the radars the world’s navies rely on — and you want to do work that you’re proud of — click ‘Apply now’.

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