Deputy Program Manager

Leidos; Gaithersburg (MD); Hybrid; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos seeks a Deputy Program Manager for the Air Traffic Business Area, supporting the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP) in a SAFe program with ~500 personnel. Role requires leadership across execution, contract performance, and customer engagement, with AI-first engineering mindset.

Hybrid work: 3 days onsite, 2 days remote; location includes Gaithersburg, MD, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, or Eagan, MN. US citizenship and Public Trust clearance required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of relevant experience (or Master's with 6+ years) and 4+ years of experience supervising teams or projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing large FAA or DoD programs
• Proficiency in Earned Value Management (EVM) techniques and reporting
• Experience operating within SAFe/Agile program organizations
• Strong customer relationship management skills at the executive level
• Track record of contract performance management and delivery excellence
• Financial management experience including P&L oversight
• Risk management expertise across complex program portfolios
• Experience leading teams of 200+ personnel in a matrixed environment
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance; US citizenship required; subject to government background investigation
• Experience leading software-intensive modernization programs operating within Agile development organizations
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust
• U.S. citizenship required
• Successful completion of background investigations as required by the government customer

Responsibilities

• Support the Program Manager in day-to-day program execution and strategic decision-making
• Manage Earned Value Management (EVM) and schedule performance across the program
• Lead program operations including status reporting, action tracking, and governance
• Serve as a primary customer interface for program performance and delivery updates
• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks across technical and programmatic domains
• Provide financial oversight including budget management and cost control
• Coordinate across engineering and delivery organizations to ensure alignment
• Oversee subcontract performance and vendor relationships
• Drive staffing decisions and workforce planning across the program
• Deputize for the Program Manager in all internal and external engagements as needed
• Support execution leadership for software-intensive modernization activities operating within Agile development frameworks
• Coordinate program delivery across Agile Release Trains ensuring alignment between modernization milestones and operational transition schedules
• Champion an AI-first engineering culture by identifying and applying AI-assisted development capabilities, automation, and emerging software engineering practices that improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, and delivery.

Skills

EVM proficiency

SAFe/Agile

Executive stakeholder mgmt

Contract performance mgmt

Financial management

Risk management

Team leadership 200+

Public Trust eligibility

US citizenship

Education

Bachelor's degree (8+ years)

Master's degree (6+ years)

Job description

Description

Leidos is seeking a Deputy Program Manager to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP). L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation platform built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture, enabling next-generation air traffic management capabilities. As part of a large-scale Scaled Agile (SAFe) program organization of approximately 500 personnel, you will serve as the deputy to the Program Manager, providing executive leadership across program execution, contract performance, and customer engagement. We are building with an AI-first engineering mindset, embracing emerging AI capabilities and modern development practices to accelerate delivery, improve software quality, and continuously evolve how we design and build mission-critical systems. This position supports government programs and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a favorable Public Trust investigation.

This role is part of a growing program, and hiring will depend on available funding. We review applications on a rolling basis, but the timeline for interviews and offers may vary. In some cases, we may extend contingent offers that become active once funding is confirmed.

This position is located in Gaithersburg, MD; Egg Harbor Township, NJ; or Eagan, MN. This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that impact millions of air travelers.

This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days remote work. Candidates should reside a commutable distance to one of the above locations.

What You'll Do

• Support the Program Manager in day-to-day program execution and strategic decision-making
• Manage Earned Value Management (EVM) and schedule performance across the program
• Lead program operations including status reporting, action tracking, and governance
• Serve as a primary customer interface for program performance and delivery updates
• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks across technical and programmatic domains
• Provide financial oversight including budget management and cost control
• Coordinate across engineering and delivery organizations to ensure alignment
• Oversee subcontract performance and vendor relationships
• Drive staffing decisions and workforce planning across the program
• Deputize for the Program Manager in all internal and external engagements as needed
• Support execution leadership for software-intensive modernization activities operating within Agile development frameworks
• Coordinate program delivery across Agile Release Trains ensuring alignment between modernization milestones and operational transition schedules
• Champion an AI-first engineering culture by identifying and applying AI-assisted development capabilities, automation, and emerging software engineering practices that improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, and delivery.

Core Technical Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of relevant experience (or Master's with 6+ years) and 4+ years of experience supervising teams or projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing large FAA or DoD programs
• Proficiency in Earned Value Management (EVM) techniques and reporting
• Experience operating within SAFe/Agile program organizations
• Strong customer relationship management skills at the executive level
• Track record of contract performance management and delivery excellence
• Financial management experience including P&L oversight
• Risk management expertise across complex program portfolios
• Experience leading teams of 200+ personnel in a matrixed environment
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance; US citizenship required; subject to government background investigation
• Experience leading software-intensive modernization programs operating within Agile development organizations
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust
• U.S. citizenship required
• Successful completion of background investigations as required by the government customer

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
• Direct FAA program management experience
• Aviation domain expertise
• PMO leadership and governance experience
• Multi-vendor program coordination
• Proposal development and capture experience
• Direct experience managing large-scale legacy-to-modern software transition programs in regulated environments

Why Leidos?

You’ll work on systems where performance, precision, and reliability matter — every second. This is not experimental AI for prototypes. This is disciplined, responsible AI applied to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure.

If you’re excited by solving complex problems in regulated, real-world environments — and using AI as a force multiplier rather than a shortcut — we’d like to talk.

ATMC

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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay Range

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.