Lead Digital Systems Engineer

Location: Singapore, Singapore

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we’re driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

In Singapore, Thales has been a trusted partner since 1973, originally focused on aerospace activities in the Asia-Pacific region. With 2,000 employees across three local sites, we deliver cutting-edge solutions across aerospace (including air traffic management), defence and security, and digital identity and cybersecurity sectors. Together, we’re shaping the future by enabling customers to make pivotal decisions that safeguard communities and power progress.

Responsibilities:

Technical leadership

·       Lead, plan and coordinate the systems engineering activities for the NexGen Digital Twin scope delivered from Singapore, including the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) contribution, work breakdown, estimates and technical milestones.

·       Lead and mentor a team of systems engineers: assign work, review their artefacts, set quality standards for requirements and architecture.

·       Act as the technical authority for system-level decisions within the delegated scope, escalating to the Project Design Authority where decisions affect the overall solution baseline, safety case or contract.

·       Prepare for, present at and close actions from formal technical reviews, such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR and acceptance readiness reviews, with entry and exit criteria that are evidence-based.

Requirements and architecture

·       Own the elicitation, analysis, specification and management of system and subsystem requirements across the lifecycle, following ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148 and the INCOSE Guide to Writing Requirements (GtWR): every requirement necessary, unambiguous, singular, feasible and verifiable, and every requirement set complete, consistent and able to be validated.

·       Interpret customer tender and contract requirements, digital twin operational concepts and use cases into a coherent system requirements baseline, and manage compliance positions and clarifications with the customer.

·       Maintain bidirectional traceability: stakeholder need → system requirement → architectural element → implementation → verification evidence. This is the artefact an auditor and the customer will ask for, and it must exist as a living structure, not a retrofit.

·       Operate the systems engineering process within an ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288 lifecycle frame (as codified in the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, 5th edition): stakeholder needs and requirements definition, system requirements definition, architecture definition, integration, verification, transition, validation and operation.

·       Run a digital / model-based engineering toolchain rather than documents-in-a-folder: requirements and models held in managed repositories with change control, baselines and query-able trace links (e.g. Capella/Arcadia or SysML-based MBSE, with DOORS, Polarion, Jama Connect or the toolchain the programme standardises on).

·       Translate non-functional requirements (latency, availability, recoverability, capacity, degraded-mode operation, cybersecurity posture) into concrete, testable engineering targets, and confirm through analysis and test that they are met.

Interfaces and integration

·       Own the definition and control of external and internal interfaces through Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and interface requirements, including ATM and non-ATM data exchanges such as ASTERIX surveillance data, ATS inter-facility data communication (AIDC/OLDI), aeronautical and meteorological information, and digital data exchanges (e.g., JSON, ReST, Streaming Data).

·       Lead the system integration strategy and sequence, coordinate interface testing with external parties, and manage interface issues and changes to closure.

·       Chair or contribute to the change control process for the system baseline, assessing the technical, safety, schedule and cost impact of each change.

Verification, validation and acceptance

·       Author and own the verification and validation strategy: define acceptance criteria at requirement-authoring time (not after the fact) and map each requirement to its verification method (inspection, analysis, demonstration or test) in the SSS, RTM and VCRM.

·       Lead system-level verification and acceptance campaigns, including FAT, SAT.

Security

·       Ensure cybersecurity requirements are specified, allocated and verified at system level, consistent with the obligations that apply to critical information infrastructure in Singapore.

Stakeholders and process

·       Be the systems engineering interface to the customer, TLF engineering, subcontractors and internal delivery squads, and keep technical positions consistent across them.

·       Identify, assess and manage technical risks and opportunities, and report technical status to project management and the Project Design Authority.

·       Follow Thales processes and practices and contribute to their improvement.

Requirements:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in systems engineering, computer science, electrical/electronic engineering, aerospace engineering or a related discipline. A Master's degree is an advantage.
• INCOSE certification (ASEP, CSEP or ESEP) or equivalent professional recognition is an advantage.

Essential Skills/Experience

• Typically, 10+ years of engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a systems engineering role on large, complex systems, including technical leadership of a team or of a significant subsystem.
• Delivered at least one complex system through the full lifecycle, from requirements and architecture through integration, verification and customer acceptance, preferably in air traffic management, aviation, defence, or regulated domain.
• Requirements engineering competence evidenced by real artefacts: system specifications, trace matrices, ICDs and verification plans, ideally under a recognised standard (INCOSE GtWR, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148).
• Experience defining and reviewing system architectures and making documented trade-offs on performance, availability, safety, security and cost.
• Hands-on familiarity with how software is built and released: able to read and review designs and code, and to understand CI/CD, automated testing and code review as engineering controls, well enough to keep requirements honest against implementation.
• Experience with requirements management and MBSE tools (e.g. DOORS, Polarion, Jama Connect, Capella, Cameo/SysML).
• Fluency with traceability and evidence as a working practice: comfortable being asked "how do you know this requirement is met?" and having an answer that points to an artefact.
• Clear technical writing. In a regulated context, the specification is the deliverable.
• Experience working with customers and in multi-cultural, multi-site, multi-disciplinary teams.
• Good communication skills in English, including presenting at formal reviews.

Essential / Desirable Traits

·       Possess learning agility, flexibility and pro-activity

·       Comfortable with agile teamwork and user engagement

At Thales, we’re committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you’ll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.