SRE Team Manager

Location: Praha, Czechia

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billons of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

Thales in the Czech Republic employs over 400 people from 45 different nationalities. A total of 15 teams work on projects for government agencies, banking, mobile services and the Internet Of Things (IoT) technology. At the core of our business is the development of software which we configure and embed in a multitude of different devices and form factors. These include many kinds of payment cards, SIM cards, travel passes, secure eBanking devices, authentication tokens, machine identification modules (MIM), and secure ID documents including ePassports, eID and eHealth cards, as well as eDriving licenses. Because of the international environment surrounding us every day, it comes as no surprise that English is our official corporate language.

As an SRE Team Manager, you will lead a team of 10+ engineers with diverse skillsets to ensure efficient operations, deliver exceptional customer satisfaction, and drive continuous improvement across all areas of responsibility. The role requires a results-oriented leader who excels in team management, escalation handling, and aligning operational strategies with organizational goals. Additionally, the SRE Team Manager is expected to work hands-on in technical domains, contributing directly to technical initiatives, troubleshooting, and process improvements alongside the team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the functional and operational management of a team of engineers, ensuring resource alignment and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Assess team skills, develop growth plans, and maintain a motivating and growth-oriented team culture.
• Achieve Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) targets, addressing low scores through actionable improvement plans.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for stakeholders, managing escalations, implementing containment strategies, and providing concise updates to senior management.
• Contribute to the change management process as an important contributor, act as a backup Change Manager when required, and participate actively in eCAB sessions.
• Lead major incident management efforts, coordinate stakeholder escalation calls, and ensure timely engagement of necessary resources.
• Monitor and ensure services meet contracted Service Level Agreements (SLAs) through regular performance reviews and reporting.
• Represent the team in IT Service Management (ITSM) process reviews, aligning processes with business goals and providing constructive feedback.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, gathering feedback for service improvements and contributing to global reporting efforts.
• Support other key stakeholders, such as SRE-Product Owner, SRE-Scrum Master, and Hub Delivery Manager in achieving departmental goals, act as a liaison with senior management, and ensure 24/7 team availability.
• Conduct regular reviews of service KPIs and team performance, identify improvement areas, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Define and communicate the vision and strategy for Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and Operations teams, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and addressing team feedback effectively.
• Actively contribute hands-on to technical tasks, including troubleshooting complex issues, participating in code reviews, optimizing infrastructure, and improving system reliability.
• Work directly with engineers to design and implement scalable, high-availability solutions, leveraging industry best practices.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer, Electrical, or Telecommunications Engineering, or related field.
• Proven experience in operations or team management within IT or technical environments.
• Knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) processes and tools, project management, SLAs, and change management.
• Hands-on experience with key technologies such as Public Cloud Operations, Linux Administration, Application Support, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, Kubernetes/Docker
• PMP, ITIL foundation, or related certifications is a plus.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• 10+ years of experience in software and services delivery, including at least 3 years of experience managing engineering teams of at least 5 team members.
• Fluent in English

Key Competencies:

• Strong leadership skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Results-oriented mindset with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Strategic thinking and ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication with the ability to lead and motivate teams.
• Technical proficiency and hands-on capability to contribute to engineering tasks and problem-solving.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working. Great journeys start here, apply now!