Rate Readiness %26 Strategic Lead

BAE Systems - Saudi Arabia; Preston; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor is seeking a Rate Readiness & Strategic Lead in Warton, UK. This role involves proactively identifying and managing risks across delivery roadmaps and developing strategies to mitigate them. Ideal candidates will have significant project management experience and a strong background in working within AGILE environments using tools like Jira. Competitive salary and benefits are offered. Closing date for applications is December 23rd, 2025.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible discounted health benefits

Private health plans

Annual incentive eligibility

Qualifications

• Experience in project management within a complex delivery environment.
• Utilizing agile methodologies and tools, particularly Jira.
• Experience in risk identification and management in software/programme contexts.

Responsibilities

• Proactively assess risks across delivery roadmaps and designs.
• Develop strategies to mitigate risks ahead of key milestones.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure a holistic approach to risk.
• Use scenario planning to forecast challenges and bottlenecks.

Skills

Project Management Experience in a complex Delivery environment

Working in an AGILE environment

Identifying and managing delivery or engineering risks

Tools

Jira

Job description

Job Title: Rate Readiness & Strategic Lead

Location: Warton

Salary: £54,793.00+

What you’ll be doing

• Proactively identify and assess medium- to long-term risks across delivery roadmaps, designs, processes, and governance
• Develop and lead strategies to mitigate risks in advance of key programme milestones
• Work collaboratively across delivery streams, engineering, safety, and enabling functions to ensure risks are addressed holistically
• Use scenario planning and modelling to forecast potential challenges and bottlenecks
• Commission, track, and embed improvements through delivery teams, transformation, or training
• Promote best practice in sustainable delivery, architecture, and tooling to reduce future risks
• Ensure smooth handover of risks to delivery or engineering leads when they become short-term issues
• Align with wider business initiatives to maintain an integrated, consistent risk management approach

Your skills and experiences

Essential:

• Experience of Project Management Experience in a complex Delivery environment
• Experience of working in an AGILE environment and utilising the Jira toolset
• Demonstrable experience in identifying and managing delivery or engineering risks within complex, large-scale software and/or modelling programmes

Desirable:

• Deep understanding of software engineering lifecycles, modelling pipelines, and system delivery constraints, ideally gained in an environment that utilises Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing
• Experience with risk frameworks, long-range planning or systems assurance
• Experience in Lean / Flow based processes (e.g. from Manufacturing or Critical Chain Project Management)
• Experience of business, product and process knowledge

Benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Functional Software Integrated Delivery Team

The Dreadnought AVC team develop innovative software and system modelling for the Dreadnought project, creating first-of-its-kind functionality to control how the submarine is manoeuvred with precision – with safety at the core – just like an aircraft! What our team of almost 250 get to play with in addition is making these manoeuvres for a 17.000 ton Submarine in near silence, and of course controlling buoyancy as well as directional control, not many planes float! Together with Submarines and Electronic Systems we blend the very test of what each of these business does in a true example of cross-company teamwork. This is the UK’s No1 Defence programme and also Air’s No 1 programme due to the company criticality. Be part of our National Endeavour.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Statement: many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 23rd December 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.