Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) Headquartered in Clarksburg, MD, is a U.S. company that has been serving domestic and international defense Air, Land and Sea domains for 60 years. With over 1000 employees, TDSI and its three subsidiaries (Tampa Microwave, Advanced Acoustic Concepts, and Trusted Cyber Technologies), supports U.S. Joint Services, special operations forces and multi-national partners with a variety of communication, visualization, electronic warfare, and sensor/sonar capabilities. TDSI’s key technologies include tactical handheld radios, expeditionary satellite terminals, helmet-mounted displays, optics and target recognition capability, advanced radars, undersea sensing and missile systems. Lives depend on what we do!

Top Benefits (Subject to terms of applicable policies/plans)

• Competitive Salary
• Yearly Incentive Compensation Plan
• Medical insurance for self and eligible family members
• Generous 401(k) program  - up to 7% company contribution and 100% immediate vesting
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid wellness, vacation, and holiday leave
• Paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave
• 9/80 Work Schedule (every other Friday off)
• Hybrid working environment

We are excited to announce that we have an opening for a Visionix Chief Technical Officer (CTO).  This position is located out of our Billerica, MA office and will report into the Vice President of Visionix. The Visionix CTO is responsible for leading the ideation and formulation of long term product and technology planning across all Visionix product lines (monocular HMD, binocular HMD, first responder display systems, Ground Soldier display systems, motion tracking solutions).  Once self-funded projects are approved, the Visionix CTO is responsible for leading the projects from a strategic perspective to ensure they achieve the targeted objectives and timeline. 

• Develop and maintain a 5-year product and technology roadmap for each of the Visionix product lines identified above.
• Serve in a customer-facing capacity for Visionix technology discussions including the pursuit of customer-funded R&D.
• Support on-going soldier systems-related products and technology development being done by the Sensors & Missile Systems (SMS) business unit.
• Maintain market awareness of emerging companies and technologies related to our domain; use this knowledge to develop make/buy recommendations for feeder technologies applicable to our larger projects.
• Work with the Visionix BD team and key engineers assigned by the Director of Engineering to identify the intersection of the mission capability gaps of our served market (input from BD) vs achievable technology advancement (input from CTO and engineering) to determine our targets for advancing product capabilities and discriminating technology.
• Lead the development and presentation of Visionix’s annual self-funded R&D plan constructed to meet the allocated budget; with support of the BU VP, gain approval from TDSI’s CEO prior to the start of the target fiscal year.
• Support the Visionix Director of Engineering as needed in providing technical leadership & guidance from an advisory or SME perspective in executing customer-funded development programs.
• As a member of the Visionix leadership team, develop a well-functioning and collaborative relationship with the Visionix's functional directors, namely engineering, PM and BD.
• Take the leadership role in structuring the cadence and content of regular status update meetings and decision reviews for approved SFRD projects. Project engineers and/or PMs will be assigned to lead the daily execution of approved projects, but all self-funded projects must have a CTO-level review NLT quarterly, and monthly for our most important projects.
• Take an active role in the current SFRD project related to our portfolio of next-gen displays. This initiative is currently lead by PM.  In conjunction with PM, we will decide how to proceed with this multi-year effort.
• As part of the Visionix's leadership team, develop a vision of where to take our Billerica operation in terms of personnel Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSA’s) and facility infrastructure related to labs and fast-reaction capabilities to meet a to-be-defined mission statement for the facility (or new facility if necessary).

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• U.S. Citizenship required - Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• 4- year engineering degree required, master’s degree in an engineering field preferred.
• 10+ years’ experience in defense-related product or advanced technology development.
• In-depth knowledge of Helmet Mounted Display products and technologies as well as head and helmet motion tracking applications.
• 5+ years of project or program management experience (or equivalent to show experience in project planning and control).
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills with experience managing small teams, working effectively in a matrix team structure, setting technology and product growth objectives and achieving results.
• Ability to comply with all Company guidelines, policies, procedures and embrace Company Core Values.  
• This position involves some domestic and international travel.

The target annualized pay range for this role is $190,000-$240,000 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 15-20%. The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact the recruiter at careers@thalesdsi.com.

Thales is committed to non-discrimination as applicable under federal, state and local laws. We are an E-Verify Employer.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please call Human Resources at 202-961-1016.

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