Director, Strategic Supplier Relations

Director, Strategic Supplier Relations

Location:

Irvine, CA (Hybrid) or Remote USA

Position Summary
Thales is looking for a Director, Strategic Supplier Relations to act as a key liaison between Thales In‑Flight Entertainment (IFE) InFlyt Experience and aircraft seat‑manufacturers, with the objective of building and strengthening strategic partnerships that deliver win‑win results for Thales, our airline customers and the seat suppliers. You will need to be a strong relationship builder, comfortable working at senior levels in both manufacturing and airline organizations, strategic in mindset, commercially oriented and technically savvy enough to understand the cabin/seat + IFE/connectivity ecosystem.

In this position, you will also own the interface and collaboration with seat‑manufacturers (both line‑fit and retrofit), uncover new opportunities (e.g., joint offerings, bundled seat + IFE/connectivity solutions, integration synergies), negotiate frameworks and strategic agreements, and drive value for our airline customers by enabling differentiated cabin experiences, improved cost‑of‑ownership, simplified interfaces and stronger combined value propositions.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Develop and execute a strategic plan for partnerships and alliances with seat manufacturers that align with Thales’s IFE/connectivity/cabin‑experience roadmap and our airline customers’ needs.
• Identify, onboard and nurture key seat‑manufacturer relationships: evaluate potential partners, build business cases, structure collaboration models (co‑marketing, joint offerings, packaging, retrofit kits, service bundles).
• Work closely with internal Thales teams to ensure alignment of seat‑partner initiatives with Thales’s IFE/connectivity solutions.
• Lead commercial negotiations and contract frameworks with seat partners; serve as the key interface at major industry events and trade shows to promote Thales’s seat‑partnership capability, build awareness and capture pipeline.
• Develop value propositions for airlines leveraging the seat + IFE/connectivity partnership: evaluate differentiated experiences or cost/weight/power synergies, build business cases, present to airline stakeholders.
• Monitor partnership performance: track key metrics (conversion rates, joint wins, retrofit deals, margin improvement, customer satisfaction), identify areas for improvement, and drive continuous enhancement of the partner ecosystem.
• Provide market intelligence on seat trends (material, weight/volume/power constraints, seat‑manufacturer strategies, retrofit growth) and ensure that Thales’s IFE/connectivity offerings remain aligned and competitively differentiated in cabin‑seatings contexts.
• Collaborate with marketing and communications to craft joint partner campaigns, white‑papers, case‑studies and thought‑leadership content showcasing seat + IFE/connectivity innovation; ensure compliance with relevant aerospace, certification and safety standards.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (Engineering, Business, Aviation or related) required; MBA or advanced business qualification preferred.
• 10+ years’ experience in aerospace or aviation in roles involving cabin interior/seat manufacturing, aircraft OEMs, IFE/connectivity or airline account management with a track record of building and managing strategic partnerships.
• Strong commercial acumen: experience negotiating strategic contracts, alliance/joint‑venture frameworks, bundling and commercial models.
• Excellent relationship and stakeholder‑management skills: able to engage senior executives at seat‑manufacturers, airlines and Thales internal leadership.
• Solid technical understanding of aircraft cabin interiors, seat‑manufacturing constraints, line‑fit vs retrofit business, cabin‑integration and aircraft certification environment; knowledge of IFE/connectivity business and integration with cabin/seat ecosystems; weight, volume, power, installation, maintenance, cost‑of‑ownership dynamics a plus.
• Strategic and analytical mindset: able to create business cases, evaluate market trends, prioritize opportunities and drive execution; excellent communication and presentation skills; willingness to travel…