Non-Technical Publications Manager

Location: Ottawa, CanadaIn fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Non-Technical Publications Manager

Ottawa, ON- Hybrid

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

• Requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the ITAR or the EAR
• Requires a positive Controlled Goods assessment as you will have direct access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the Canadian Controlled Goods Program
• Required to obtain and maintain a Security Clearance at the NATO Secret Level

Position Summary

We have a current vacancy for a Non-Technical Publications Manager who is responsible for the leadership, coordination, governance and continuous improvement of the non-technical publications function across multiple programs. The role ensures that non-technical publications and documentation are planned, developed, reviewed, approved and delivered to the required quality standards and in accordance with contractual, organizational and customer requirements.

The position provides day-to-day leadership to the non-technical publications team and acts as a key interface between the team and internal stakeholders, subject matter experts, project teams and leadership. The Manager is responsible for establishing clear priorities, managing workload and delivery commitments, maintaining appropriate publication standards and ensuring effective controls are in place throughout the documentation lifecycle. This will include managing workflows, monitoring service performance, and being accountable for the development and maintenance of publication service level agreements (SLAs).

Key Areas of Responsibility  

Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead and manage the day-to-day activities of the Non-Technical Publications Team.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, objectives and performance expectations for team members.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and professional development to strengthen team capability.
• Manage workload allocation and balance priorities across multiple programs, projects and stakeholders.
• Identify resource and capability requirements and support workforce and succession planning.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable and continuous-improvement culture within the team.

Publications Planning & Delivery

• Establish and maintain publication plans, schedules and delivery priorities.
• Coordinate the development, review, approval, release and maintenance of publications and documentation.
• Monitor delivery commitments, identify potential schedule or capacity issues and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Ensure dependencies, stakeholder inputs and approval requirements are understood and incorporated into publication plans.
• Provide visibility of publication status, priorities, risks and issues to relevant stakeholders and leadership.

Publications Governance & Quality

• Establish and maintain appropriate publication standards, procedures and governance.
• Maintain effective quality-control practices to improve accuracy, clarity, consistency and completeness.
• Support effective document lifecycle management.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for the non-technical publications function.
• Build effective working relationships with program and project teams, functional departments, subject matter experts and other key stakeholders.
• Translate stakeholder requirements into clear priorities and deliverables for the publications team.
• Facilitate effective review and feedback cycles and resolve competing priorities or requirements where necessary.
• Escalate significant risks, issues, resource constraints or delivery concerns appropriately.

Process Improvement & Standardization

• Assess existing publications processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality and predictability.
• Develop and implement standardized workflows, templates, guidance and working practices.
• Identify recurring causes of rework, delays or quality issues and lead corrective improvement initiatives.
• Promote consistency and reuse of established content and documentation approaches where appropriate.
• Support implementation and adoption of tools and systems used to manage publications and documentation.

Performance Management & Reporting

• Establish appropriate performance measures for the publications function.
• Monitor areas such as schedule adherence, workload, quality, rework, review cycle times and delivery performance.
• Provide regular reporting on team performance, priorities, risks, issues and capacity.
• Use performance information to support resource planning, prioritization and continuous improvement.
• Establish measurable objectives for improvements to the publications function and track progress against them.

Expected Outcomes

• Predictable and Timely Delivery.
• Improved Quality and Consistency.
• Establishment of Clear Ownership and Accountability.
• Deployment of Effective Publications Governance.
• Improved Planning and Visibility.
• Optimal Resource and Capacity Management.
• Formation of Strong Stakeholder Relationships.
• Creation of Measurable Functional Performance.
• Expectation of Continuous Improvement.
• Increased Team Capability.
• Increased Functional Maturity.

Minimum Qualifications  

• Diploma, degree or equivalent relevant professional experience in business administration, communications, publications, project management, documentation management and/or a related discipline.
• At least 2 years of experience leading or coordinating a team within a publications, documentation, communications, project delivery or comparable, complex business environment.
• Prior experience managing multiple concurrent deliverables, priorities and stakeholders.
• Proven experience establishing or working within structured processes, governance and quality-control environments.
• Demonstrable experience with specialized tools: e.g. Microsoft 365, JIRA, Adobe Acrobat Pro and Visio.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in a project, program, engineering, defence, aerospace or other regulated environment would be considered an asset.
• Previous leadership experience within a publications, documentation or information-management function.
• Experience supporting complex programs or projects involving multiple stakeholders and formal customer deliverables.
• Familiarity with document control, configuration management or formal document approval processes.
• Experience developing procedures, templates, workflows or governance frameworks.
• Experience with continuous improvement or process optimization.
• Familiarity with project management principles, scheduling and performance reporting.
• Experience within the defence, aerospace, engineering or government contracting sectors would be an advantage.

If you’re excited about working with Thales, but not meeting the requirements for this position, we encourage you to join our Talent Community!

Special Position Requirements

Physical Environment: Hybrid working environment - currently three days in office, two days remote per week.

The reference Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between Total Target Cash (TTC) 90,000 - $100,000 CAD Annual.

This reflects how companies in a similar industry and geographic region generally pay for similar jobs. This range helps the Company make pay decisions as one data point among many. Where a position falls within this range is also dependent on other factors including – but not limited to – the employee’s career path history, competencies, skills and performance, as well as the company’s annual salary budget, the customer’s program requirements, and the company’s internal equity. Thales may offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, state, or federal law.

We use artificial intelligence–enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description.  All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.

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Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following: 

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.

• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.

• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave. 

• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.

• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian NATO Secret clearance.