Location: Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Thales is a global technology leader with more than 83,000 employees on five continents. With over 7,500 people in the UK, operating across defence, space, aerospace, and digital security, we help build a future we can all trust. Thales supports the security and stability of our nation by providing extraordinary technology to our customers, as well as delivering social value to the UK with our products and services.

At Thales, we deliver the technologies that help nations protect their people, infrastructure and future. As the UK's primary provider of secure maritime communications solutions to the Royal Navy, we've been supporting critical naval operations for more than 60 years.

Our solutions form the backbone of the Royal Navy's secure communications network, enabling the safe and reliable exchange of mission-critical information across the globe. Due to continued growth, we're looking for a Field Support Engineer to join our team in Portsmouth.

Location – Portsmouth

As a Field Support Engineer, you'll provide expert technical support across naval communications systems, ensuring equipment remains operational and available to support critical defence activities.

Working closely with customers, maintainers and wider engineering teams, you'll investigate technical issues, support maintenance activities and act as a trusted Subject Matter Expert for allocated systems and equipment.

This role offers the opportunity to work with advanced naval communications technology in a highly specialised and rewarding environment.

What you'll be doing

• Acting as the primary point of contact for technical support queries from the user community.
• Logging and managing technical issues through the appropriate systems and databases.
• Coordinating technical investigations, working with stakeholders across multiple naval operating bases and external agencies.
• Liaising directly with customers to provide updates and resolve technical or scheduling issues.
• Providing Subject Matter Expertise for allocated equipment and communications systems.
• Supporting users and maintainers with fault diagnosis to minimise unnecessary equipment returns.
• Ensuring fault and incident data is captured accurately and maintained to a high standard.
• Supporting maintenance activities and driving continuous improvement across support operations.

About you

We're looking for a technically capable engineer with a strong background in naval communications and support engineering.

You'll ideally have:

• Significant experience supporting naval systems and equipment within a defence environment.
• Extensive knowledge of naval communications equipment and associated technologies.
• Strong networking and IT experience across naval platforms.
• A solid technical engineering background with excellent fault-finding capability.
• Experience maintaining and diagnosing High Frequency (HF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) communication systems.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with customers and stakeholders.

What we can offer

At Thales, we recognise that our people are our greatest asset. That's why we offer a comprehensive reward and benefits package, including:

• Competitive salary.
• Generous pension scheme.
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Life assurance at 2x annual salary.
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and access to wellbeing support tools.
• Retail and lifestyle discounts with major brands.
• Gym membership discounts.
• Early finish every Friday, typically around 1:00pm.

Security Clearance

This position requires Security Check (SC) Clearance.

Candidates who already hold SC Clearance are encouraged to apply; however, successful applicants who do not currently hold SC Clearance will be required to obtain and maintain this level of security clearance as a condition of employment.

For further information regarding UK Security Vetting requirements, please visit the UK Government Security Vetting website.

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At Thales, we ensure equal opportunities, pay and working conditions for all. The benefits we offer include private medical insurance, buying or selling annual leave, cycle to work schemes, employee discounts, paid volunteering day, stocks and shares, annual bonus and much more depending on the role. Read more about our benefits here.

 

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued for who they are and the unique strengths they bring. Discover more about our programmes, employee networks, wellbeing policies, and inclusive features here.

 

If this role isn’t quite right for you, we encourage you to join our talent community where your details will be shared with our recruitment teams for other potential opportunities. Join the Talent Community here.

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