Lead Project Manager

Leonardo; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave and flexi-days

Up to 15% employer pension contribution

Free mental health support

Access to online courses

Flexible working hours

Financial reward for referrals

Job summary

A leading defense and aerospace company is seeking a Project Manager to oversee the Digital Lifecycle Programme in Southampton. This role involves delivering complex digital transformation projects, working collaboratively with remote teams, and managing stakeholders effectively. The ideal candidate will have strong project management experience and the ability to drive projects on time and within budget. The position offers a hybrid working environment and a comprehensive benefits package, supporting both professional growth and personal well-being.

Qualifications

• Experience in delivery of complex digital transformations.
• Ability to manage remote teams across multiple partner organizations.
• Familiarity with stakeholder management at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Produce and agree on a project delivery plan with stakeholders.
• Identify key milestones and manage project risks.
• Provide regular updates on project progress.
• Manage partners and third parties to ensure collaborative teamwork.
• Define and implement project governance structures.

Skills

Project management experience

Strong people focus

Communication skills

Proactivity and drive

Resilience

Commercial awareness

Technical skills (MS Project, Jira, Excel, SharePoint, SAP)

Job description

Your Impact

Would you like to be part of an industry leading digital transformation programme?

Job Description

The Digital Lifecycle Programme is a digital transformation programme spanning the product lifecycle, seeking to provide enhanced digital capabilities to support design and manufacturing processes. Through the introduction and upgrade of our executive systems the Digital Lifecycle programme lays the foundations required for Digital Transformation and ensures a secure architecture. Further, the programme ensures compliance, traceability and data quality as we deliver a 'Digital Thread' providing continuous, integrated flow of data across the product lifecycle. The projects within the Digital Lifecycle programme increase efficiency and improve employee experience, enabling the delivery of increasingly complex product designs.

Initially supporting an upgrade to our PLM system (Teamcenter), one of our key executive systems, the Project Manager will be responsible for the successful, on time and on cost delivery of the projects which they are responsible for.

Responsibilities

• Produce and agree a project delivery plan with all key stakeholders, partners and suppliers.
• Identify key milestones and ensure on time delivery to plan.
• Identify and manage risks and issues associated with the plan, in accordance with Leonardo processes.
• Provide regular updates to programme management and programme sponsors regarding progress against plan.
• Escalate any risks or issues outside of project control in a timely manner to ensure they can be addressed.
• Management of partners and third parties, driving strong, collaborative team. Ensure clear Roles and Responsibilities are defined, ensure partners and third parties meet agreed delivery timescales. Address any issues with third parties and elevate to programme management if required.
• Identify any key project dependencies and proactively manage these to ensure project remains on track.
• Definition and implementation of project governance structure covering both technical and delivery in aspects, aligned to wider programme & Leonardo governance as required.
• Capture of key design decisions following defined process.
• Capture design documents and release materials within TCU.
• Collaboration with senior change agent to ensure necessary change activities are completed to support a successful deployment.
• Engagement with BAU owners to ensure smooth transition from project to in-service/ BAU.

What You’ll Bring

• Project management experience. Experience in delivery of complex digital transformation and/ or upgrade of enterprise applications desirable.
• Strong people focus and ability to successfully manage remote teams across multiple partner organisations.
• Strong communication & motivational skills.
• Experience managing stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
• Proactivity and drive to ensure work progresses to schedule. Experience managing projects to tight timescales and balancing competing priorities.
• Resilience and determination to overcome challenges and support team through resolution of issues.
• Commercial awareness, experience in managing third parties.
• Confident in use of MS Project, Jira, Excel, SharePoint and SAP.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). Additional Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, which could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge – Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future – Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters – Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance – All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning – Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend – Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks – Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working – Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Primary Location

GB – Southampton

Additional Locations

• GB – Basildon
• GB – Bristol – Coldharbour Lane
• GB – Edinburgh
• GB – Luton – Cap. Green 300

Contract Type

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Project Management, Information Technology, and Engineering

Industries

Defense and Space Manufacturing, Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing, and Computer and Network Security

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger – apply now!