Delivery Director

Leidos; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor in Farnborough is seeking an experienced Delivery Director to oversee high-profile national security programs. The role requires proven success in delivering large-scale programmes with P&L accountability and strong leadership abilities to manage diverse teams. Candidates must have a technical background and extensive experience collaborating with government agencies. This position offers opportunities for career growth within a collaborative culture while ensuring a healthy work-life balance.

Benefits

Contributory Pension Scheme

Private Medical Insurance

33 days Annual Leave

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering large-scale programmes (≥ £50 m) with P&L responsibility.
• Experience working with UK Government organisations.
• People-management skills, including mentoring and coaching.

Responsibilities

• Manage the strategy and future pipeline of work with the customer.
• Maintain engagement with customer teams at all levels.
• Handle technical, programmatic, and financial management.

Skills

Senior leadership

Team development

Strategic vision

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Decision-making

Education

Experience in large-scale programmes

Technical background in relevant fields

Job description

Leidos UK is seeking an experienced and motivated Delivery Director to lead a high‑profile, highly secure critical national infrastructure contract in National Security and Defence (NS&D). The Delivery Director will join the NS&D leadership team and lead and manage the delivery of high‑quality technical products and services to our government and commercial customers.

You will be accountable to the Managing Director of the National Security & Defence Division in Leidos UK for all aspects of programme and service delivery. You will head up a Senior Leadership Team of senior Programme Managers, Technical Experts and Service Delivery professionals to drive the delivery of a service which constitutes critical national infrastructure.

You will be comfortable engaging with individuals at all levels from senior government staff and Leidos executives in both the UK and US through direct team leadership while maintaining the curiosity to understand the work in which the front line teams are engaged.

This is a true Director role in which you will be comfortable with delegation, staff development and managing a complex and diverse team of professionals. You will be an excellent communicator in all mediums and have a strong set of personal values including integrity. Leidos believes in collaborative working and aims to engage closely with our customers to understand their needs and deliver outcomes that satisfy within the available budget. Structured and clear planning is critical to success and you will need to have a clear approach to planning new work that you will share with the wider team to drive continuous improvement.

Individuals with significant experience will have a strong grasp of the PM discipline and ideally an understanding of systems thinking and principles, with exposure to systems engineering as an advantage but not essential. While the portfolio of work and the associated management processes are mature, Leidos is a learning organisation with scope to identify areas for improvement across the division and wider business and achieve real impact.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Actively manage the strategy and future pipeline of work with the customer.
• Maintain close and collaborative engagement with the customer team at all levels, supporting prioritisation and delivery against critical milestones.
• Handle technical, programmatic and financial management of the service and transformation work supported by senior management.
• Own and maintain governance and change‑management workflows to optimise delivery while remaining aligned to Leidos and customer policy.
• Ensure delivery of a mission‑critical service to meet SLAs and KPIs.
• Manage a diverse, highly skilled team, delegating responsibilities and overseeing performance management.
• Provide regular reporting to customer and Leidos executives to support effective information sharing and strategic decision‑making.
• Apply all programme and service disciplines—planning, risk management, resource management, scheduling, financial management and change management—throughout the programme.
• Support the division and wider business with regular, accurate forecasts of resource demand, financial position and contract delivery.

Who are we looking for

• A senior leader who can develop and maintain a strategic vision while delegating work and trusting their team to deliver.
• An individual with experience in team development and a servant‑leadership style that enables the team.
• Self‑motivated, leading by example especially under pressure, and unafraid to get hands dirty when required.
• A professional PM with deep subject‑matter expertise and accountability for programme performance in a customer‑facing role.
• An articulate communicator who can explain technical matters to non‑specialists and present points transparently.
• An analytical thinker capable of systematically addressing stakeholder challenges and communicating complex ideas clearly.
• Strong decision‑making skills, able to support the team when decisions must be made with limited information.

The successful candidate will have

• Proven experience delivering large‑scale programmes (≥ £50 m) with P&L responsibility.
• Proven experience in bids and growth leadership roles.
• Entrepreneurial Architecture at the highest classifications.
• Experience working with UK Government organisations, understanding how public bodies operate and can be supported.
• A technical background that allows rapid understanding of commercial and technical aspects of the programme and division.
• Demonstrated strong resource management and cross‑functional engagement, including collaboration with commercial, supply‑chain, finance, HR and trade‑compliance leaders.
• People‑management skills that motivate, influence and enable individuals inside and outside their direct management, including mentoring, coaching and performance management.

Additional Information

• The main location for this role is Farnborough, UK.
• Flexibility to travel to other Leidos sites and customer sites as needed.

Clearance Requirements

• Developed Vetting (DV) required to start and for the role.
• This role supports National Security and requires DV clearance.

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 careers, a collaborative culture and support for your career goals while nurturing a healthy work‑life balance.

• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Private Medical Insurance
• 33 days Annual Leave (including public and privilege holidays)
• Access to flexible benefits (life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, annual buy‑and‑sell holidays, cycle‑to‑work scheme)

Flexible Working Scheme

Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applications from all communities and are committed to a truly diverse and inclusive culture. We foster belonging, welcoming all perspectives, and providing equal access to opportunities. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the selection stages, please let us know and we will respond to fit your needs.