Senior Programme Manager

Location: This is a Hybrid role. Whiteley, Hampshire

Clearance Required: This role will require attainment and maintenance of SC clearance

The opportunity

Leidos is looking for an experienced Senior Programme Manager to take on a high-profile role working directly with and reporting to the Managing Director.

Rather than being aligned to one individual programme, this role will work across multiple programmes, providing senior-level support wherever it can make the greatest impact.

You’ll bring your programme leadership experience to a varied portfolio of activity, from supporting complex programme delivery and helping resolve challenges, through to shaping bids and proposals, strengthening programme governance, and coaching and developing our programme teams.

We’re looking for someone who enjoys variety, can quickly understand complex delivery environments and is comfortable moving between strategic priorities and hands-on programme support.

Experience within Systems Integration programmes would be particularly valuable, ideally gained within aviation, defence, transportation, technology or another complex and highly regulated environment.

What you’ll be doing

Working closely with the Managing Director and programme leadership teams, you’ll:

• Provide senior programme leadership and support across multiple programmes and business priorities.
• Step into complex or challenging areas to help identify issues, strengthen delivery and drive positive outcomes.
• Coach, mentor and develop Programme Managers and wider programme leadership teams.
• Support the development of programme strategies, plans, governance and delivery approaches.
• Lead and contribute to bids and proposals, helping shape delivery strategies and develop credible programme plans.
• Provide oversight and challenge across programme performance, including financials, budgets, forecasts, risks and dependencies.
• Prepare clear programme updates, presentations and performance information for customers and senior leadership.
• Build strong relationships with customers, partners and internal stakeholders.
• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the Managing Director.
• Identify opportunities to improve programme processes, ways of working and delivery standards across the business.
• Share best practice and lessons learned across programmes to support continuous improvement.

What we’re looking for

We’re interested in experienced programme leaders who can bring strong delivery knowledge, commercial awareness and a collaborative leadership style.

You may bring experience in some of the following:

• Leading large-scale or complex programmes, particularly within Systems Integration or technology-led environments.
• Working across multiple programmes, projects or business priorities rather than within a single delivery area.
• Leading programme recovery, resolving complex delivery challenges or providing independent programme oversight.
• Managing multidisciplinary teams and multiple workstreams.
• Coaching and developing Programme Managers or programme leadership teams.
• Supporting bids, proposals, new business activity or programme mobilisation.
• Programme governance, planning, risk and dependency management.
• Financial and commercial management, including budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting.
• Building trusted relationships with senior customers, partners and internal stakeholders.
• Communicating complex programme information clearly to executive and customer audiences.

Experience within aviation, defence or transportation would be beneficial, but we also welcome relevant experience from other complex or regulated sectors.

You don’t need to meet every requirement to apply. If you bring strong programme leadership experience and transferable skills that could add value across our programmes, we’d like to hear from you.

What success looks like

You’ll become a trusted partner to the Managing Director and programme leadership teams, providing additional leadership, challenge and support across the portfolio.

Success will mean stronger programme delivery, better sharing of best practice, well-supported programme leaders and high-quality contributions to future bids and growth opportunities.

What we do for you:
At Leidos we are PASSIONATE about customer success, UNITED as a team and INSPIRED to make a difference. We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance.

We provide an employment package that attracts, develops and retains only the best in talent. Our reward scheme includes:

• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Private Medical Insurance
• 33 days Annual Leave (including public and privilege holidays)
• Access to Flexible benefits (including life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, annual buy and sell holidays and a cycle to work scheme and much more!)
• Flexi-Time Working

Commitment to Diversity:

We welcome applications from every part of the community and are committed to a truly diverse and inclusive culture. We foster a sense of belonging, welcoming all perspectives and contributions, and providing equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages please let us know, and we will respond in a way that best fits your needs.

Who We Are:

Leidos UK & Europe – we work to make the world safer, healthier, and more efficient through technology, engineering and science.

Leidos is a growing company delivering innovative technology and solutions focused on safeguarding critical capabilities and transformation in frontline services, our work in the United Kingdom includes addressing some of the most complex problems in defence, healthcare, government, safety and security, and transportation.

What Makes Us Different:

Purpose: you can use your passion and abilities at Leidos to keep the people you care about safe. We are at the forefront of machine learning, AI, cyber security and solutions. Using your skills in the technology frontline by helping to build a safer world.  You can inspire change.

Collaboration: having flexibility to do your job is one of our core benefits, enabling you to become part of our extraordinary team.  We have been empowering our people to work flexibly for years.  Whether you work from home, the office or on customer sites, we will give you the digital tools and the flexibility to work smarter and align your needs and ours.          

People: Leidos empowers people from every background to be themselves and gives you the tools to learn new skills by enabling growth whilst developing. We believe that extraordinary people need opportunities to grow, to be inspired and to inspire others. At Leidos, we invest in technical academies, career rotations and a career development plans that enhance your future.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

Pay Range:

£75,800.00-£99,800.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.