Senior Project Manager

Leonardo S.p.A.; Basildon; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12 flexi‑days per year

Pension up to 15%

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Online courses via Coursera/LinkedIn

Referral bonus

Flexible benefits up to £500

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead a cross-functional Integrated Project Team in delivering a major Land CEMA system programme from Basildon.

The role requires leadership across the full lifecycle, strong stakeholder engagement, and delivery against cost, schedule, quality, and performance commitments. Applicants should possess security clearance eligibility and a track record of multi-million-pound project delivery.

Qualifications

• Strong track record of project delivery across the full lifecycle, including business-winning activities.
• Proven experience in a project management role leading multi-million-pound projects.
• Experience delivering medium-complexity projects through multiple phases of the project lifecycle.
• Strong experience developing and maintaining customer and supplier relationships.
• Experience or awareness of supporting functions such as Commercial, Procurement, and Quality Assurance.
• Demonstrable expertise in project planning, scheduling, Work Package Management, and cost control.
• Application of professional project management principles.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence, motivate, and guide project teams.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC).

Responsibilities

• Plan, manage, monitor, and report project progress in accordance with Leonardo’s Lifecycle Management process.
• Organise and coordinate internal Phase/Gate Reviews, customer reviews, and supplier reviews, ensuring actions are tracked and managed through to closure.
• Manage project scope, schedule, cost and performance, implementing recovery plans and corrective actions where required.
• Coordinate IPT activities through effective communication, governance, meetings, and reporting structures.
• Demonstrate strong financial acumen and routinely report key performance metrics, including cash flow, earned value, and estimate-to-complete.
• Take full accountability for project delivery, performance and customer satisfaction.
• Establish and maintain Work Package Management structures, ensuring resource requirements are understood and managed.
• Lead proactive Risk and Opportunity Management activities, identifying, assessing and mitigating threats whilst maximising opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery and long‑term business growth.
• Engage confidently with technical specialists across multiple disciplines, providing constructive challenge and informed decision‑making.
• Facilitate effective problem-solving and conflict resolution to maintain programme momentum and team alignment.
• Support business‑winning activities, contributing to the preparation, management, and review of bids and proposals.

Skills

Project delivery

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Planning & scheduling

Cost control

Customer relationships

Supplier management

Work Package Management

PM principles

Security Clearance

Job description

Your Impact

The CEMA & IC System Business Sector has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Project Manager to join the Land CEMA business area and play a key role in the continued growth of this strategically important portfolio. As a Senior Project Manager, you will lead a cross-functional Integrated Project Team (IPT) in the delivery of a major Land CEMA system programme. This is a high-profile and complex role requiring effective leadership, stakeholder management, and programme delivery expertise. You will provide leadership and direction to a multidisciplinary team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. Working closely with both internal and external stakeholders, you will drive programme execution, ensuring objectives are achieved while maintaining strong customer relationships and delivering against agreed cost, schedule, quality, and performance commitments.

• Plan, manage, monitor, and report project progress in accordance with Leonardo’s Lifecycle Management process.
• Organise and coordinate internal Phase/Gate Reviews, customer reviews, and supplier reviews, ensuring actions are tracked and managed through to closure.
• Manage project scope, schedule, cost and performance, implementing recovery plans and corrective actions where required.
• Coordinate IPT activities through effective communication, governance, meetings, and reporting structures.
• Demonstrate strong financial acumen and routinely report key performance metrics, including cash flow, earned value, and estimate-to-complete.
• Take full accountability for project delivery, performance and customer satisfaction.
• Establish and maintain Work Package Management structures, ensuring resource requirements are understood and managed.
• Lead proactive Risk and Opportunity Management activities, identifying, assessing and mitigating threats whilst maximising opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful project delivery and long‑term business growth.
• Engage confidently with technical specialists across multiple disciplines, providing constructive challenge and informed decision‑making.
• Facilitate effective problem-solving and conflict resolution to maintain programme momentum and team alignment.
• Support business‑winning activities, contributing to the preparation, management, and review of bids and proposals.

Eligibility to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC).

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Security Clearance This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this 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

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• With a strong track record of project delivery, it would be advantageous for candidates to have experience across the full project lifecycle, including business‑winning activities.
• Proven experience in a project management role leading multi‑million‑pound projects.
• Experience delivering medium‑complexity projects through multiple phases of the project lifecycle.
• Strong experience developing and maintaining customer and supplier relationships.
• Experience or awareness of supporting functions such as Commercial, Procurement, and Quality Assurance.
• Demonstrable expertise in project planning, scheduling, Work Package Management, and cost control.
• Application of professional project management principles.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence, motivate, and guide project teams through both direct and indirect management.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain UK Security Clearance (SC).

Why join us

• 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.

Location & Contract

Primary Location: GB - Basildon Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Hybrid International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo.

The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know‑how across the generations.

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.

Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!