Procurement Director

Location: Glasgow, 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.

Procurement Director - Optronics & Missile Electronics (OME UK)

Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Closing Date for Applications: Friday 16 October 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced procurement leader to join Thales as Procurement Director for Optronics & Missile Electronics (OME) UK.

This is a high-profile leadership role within one of Thales UK's most strategically important business areas. Reporting to the UK Procurement Director and working closely with the Optronics & Missile Electronics leadership team, you will lead procurement activity across a complex portfolio of products, programmes, bids and projects, ensuring our supply chain continues to deliver performance, innovation and value.

Leading a team of approximately 10-15 procurement professionals, you will play a critical role in shaping procurement strategy, developing supplier partnerships, supporting business growth and driving operational excellence across the function.

What You'll Be Doing

As Procurement Director, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership to the Optronics & Missile Electronics procurement organisation, creating an inclusive, high-performing team environment.
• Act as the senior procurement representative for the business, contributing to strategic decision-making and long-term business planning.
• Lead procurement activity across bids, programmes, projects and products, balancing cost, quality, schedule and risk considerations.
• Develop and strengthen supplier relationships, ensuring a resilient and competitive supply chain that supports current and future business needs.
• Drive value creation and procurement performance through robust sourcing strategies, supplier management and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Programmes, Finance and Business leadership teams to deliver successful business outcomes.
• Champion transformation, innovation and operational excellence across the procurement function.
• Contribute to the wider UK Procurement strategy, helping shape the future direction of procurement across Thales.

About You

We are looking for a strategic, collaborative and commercially minded leader who can build strong relationships, influence senior stakeholders and develop high-performing teams.

You will bring:

• Significant leadership experience within Procurement, Supply Chain or a related commercial function.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing teams within complex, matrix organisations.
• The ability to build credibility and influence with senior stakeholders across multiple business functions.
• Strong procurement, commercial and supplier management expertise gained within a large engineering, manufacturing, technology or similarly complex environment.
• Experience leading change, business transformation and continuous improvement activities.
• Excellent communication, engagement and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to translate business priorities into practical procurement and supply chain strategies.

While defence industry experience would be advantageous, it is not essential. We welcome applications from individuals who have operated within large engineering, technical, manufacturing or industrial organisations and can demonstrate strong leadership, stakeholder engagement and commercial capability.

Why Join Us?

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Lead procurement within a strategically significant and growing business area.
• Influence business strategy and shape key decisions at a senior level.
• Manage substantial supplier portfolios and material spend.
• Develop and inspire a talented procurement team through continued growth and transformation.
• Collaborate across UK and global procurement networks, sharing expertise and driving innovation.
• Contribute directly to technologies and solutions that make a real difference to national security and global safety.

Core Benefits:

On offer is a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes;

• Performance-related bonus
• Half day every Friday, usually finishing around 13:00
• 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) plus opportunity to buy up to 40 hours/year (pro rata)
• 24 hours volunteering paid for
• Private healthcare
• Pension scheme
• Life cover
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program and access to mental wellbeing app
• Employee discount shopping schemes on major brands and retailers
• Gym membership discounts
• You can read about some of our other benefits here: UK benefits | Thales Group

Thales is an equal opportunities employer and diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of Thales.

Please note: This role is based in Glasgow, and regular on-site presence will be required to support team leadership, stakeholder engagement and business collaboration.

Security Clearance Requirement:

Due to the nature of the work that we do at Thales, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions.  This role requires Security Clearance (SC). It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. 

To be eligible for full SC, you generally need to have resided in the UK for the last 5 years.  In some circumstances, a minimum of 3 years’ residence in the UK over the last 5 years may be accepted, with additional overseas checks.

Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels.

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.

Join Thales in the UK – Innovate with us and shape the future!