Program Manager - Airport Screening Operations

Leidos; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness programs

Paid Leave

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Leidos seeks a Task Order Program Manager to lead on-site screening operations for a TSA Gold+ airport. You will direct passenger checkpoint and baggage screening, manage the contracted screening workforce, and ensure compliance with TSA standards and regulatory requirements.

You will oversee training, credentialing, and security processes while coordinating with TSA, airport operators, and partner agencies to deliver secure, efficient operations and timely deliverables.

Qualifications

• Experience in aviation security, airport operations, or passenger screening services.
• Ability to obtain TSA STA and suitability determinations prior to start.
• U.S. citizenship and readiness for 24/7 emergency response.
• Formal program management certification or 5+ years federal program management experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily passenger checkpoint and baggage screening in line with TSA SOPs.
• Lead contracted TSOs and training staff; manage recruitment and surge staffing.
• Oversee equipment installation and maintenance of TSA-owned systems.
• Coordinate with TSA, airport operators, and partner agencies; produce required reports.

Skills

Aviation security

Airport operations

Contract management

Program management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

FAC-PM/DAWIA/PMP certification

Tools

TSA SOPs

CRPG

PGDS

QASP

Job description

Description

Leidos is seeking a Task Order Program Manager (TO PM) to serve as the on-site screening operations lead for a designated airport under the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Gold+ program - a model in which participating airports transition from federally operated screening to qualified private-sector screening performed under TSA regulation, oversight, and detection standards pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 44920. In operational scope, the TO PM directs passenger checkpoint screening operations and checked baggage screening operations, leads the contracted screening workforce, and is accountable for screening performance to TSA detection standards, throughput and wait-time results, passenger experience, and the company's own regulatory compliance. Checkpoint and checked baggage are both fully in scope; checked baggage operations are scaled to each airport and are considerably smaller at many locations.

Primary Responsibilities:

Screening Operations & Security Effectiveness

• Direct daily passenger checkpoint and checked baggage screening in accordance with TSA Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and detection standards, meeting or exceeding the federal level of screening required under 49 U.S.C. 44920.
• Sustain workforce screening proficiency
• Manage throughput and passenger wait times across TSA PreCheck and standard lanes and across checked baggage inspection and resolution; adjust security posture to the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) and to irregular operations (IROPS).
• Screen persons and property, confirm or resolve alarmed persons or property, verify travel documents, and support TSA-directed special screening programs as tasked at the airport level.

Workforce Management, Training & Certification

• Lead the contracted screening workforce - Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), Lead TSOs (LTSOs), Supervisory TSOs (STSOs), and site training staff; manage recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, surge staffing, overtime, and fitness-for-duty.
• Deliver initial, recurrent, and remedial training and certify the workforce to TSA-set standards that TSA audits, consistent with 49 U.S.C. 44935 and the training and certification standards incorporated by the contract.
• Ensure the workforce completes Security Threat Assessment (STA) and suitability submissions (TSA adjudicates) and obtains and maintains Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) credentials issued by the airport operator's badging office.
• Support TSA's aviation insider threat program and reporting requirements for the contracted workforce, and foster a culture of security, professionalism, and customer service.

Technology & Equipment Oversight (TSE)

• Oversee delivery, installation, integration, operational test-and-checkout, and sustainment of checkpoint TSE and checked baggage Explosives Detection Systems (EDS), using the Checkpoint Requirements and Planning Guide (CRPG) and the Planning Guidelines and Design Standards (PGDS) for Checked Baggage Inspection Systems as references.
• Maintain equipment availability through preventive and corrective maintenance, calibration, cybersecurity updates, radiation surveys, and radioactive leak tests to TSA-set standards, including operating and maintaining TSA-owned equipment already installed at the airport.
• Conduct contractor site acceptance and operational test-and-checkout, property and asset accountability, and technology-refresh planning; only TSA-qualified equipment may be deployed, and TSA retains qualification, certification, and acceptance of detection capability.

Program, Compliance & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary contractor point of contact with the FSD, AFSD-S, Contracting Officer (CO), and Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), and coordinate with the airport operator, air carriers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and airport law enforcement.
• Develop and maintain the airport-level Operations Management Plan (OMP) and manage Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) performance and Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA)-based workforce compensation.
• Ensure compliance with TSA SOPs and directives, Sensitive Security Information (SSI) handling, and cybersecurity requirements; maintain readiness for the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) and TSA inspections and drive corrective actions.
• Produce required deliverables (Contract Status Reports, Performance/Compliance Metrics Reports, Maintenance Reports, Incident Logs); lead incident management and Continuity of Operations (COOP); and lead transition-in and transition-out, including Government-Furnished Equipment/Information (GFE/GFI) transfer and the right of first refusal for the incumbent screening workforce.

Basic Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following: aviation security, airport operations, personnel security screening services, equipment/technology management, or contract management.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a favorable TSA Security Threat Assessment (STA) and TSA Suitability Determination prior to starting work.
• Eligibility for access to Sensitive Security Information (SSI); ability to be vetted for access up to the SECRET level if required by the task order.
• U.S. Citizenship required to support TSA suitability and vetting processes.
• Availability for emergency response twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.
• At least seven years of general management experience or three years as a certified STSO or higher position; and
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing in an effective, efficient, and professional manner.
• Anyone of the following;
• Formal certification in program/project management issued by the Federal Government (such as FAC-PM, DAWIA, or U.S. DHS) or certification issued by a non-government organization like the PMP credential issued by the Project Management Institute; or
• At least five years of management experience in aviation security, airport operations, or personnel security services, demonstrated experience in supervising personnel in a Federal Government environment is highly desired.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience on TSA or DHS programs, including familiarity with TSA Standard Operating Procedures, the Checkpoint Requirements and Planning Guide (CRPG), or the Screening Partnership Program (SPP).
• Information Technology background, including familiarity with Authority to Operate (ATO)/Authority to Connect (ATC) processes.
• Experience managing large, hourly/shift-based workforces in an airport, aviation, or physical security environment.
• PMP credential or equivalent project/program management credential.
• 5+ years of program/operations management experience, including 3+ years managing federal programs of similar size and complexity, is a plus and positions candidates for advancement toward the corporate Operations/Program Manager (IDIQ Key Personnel) role.

Working Conditions:

• Primary work location is on-site at the assigned Gold+ airport checkpoint/administrative facility.
• Screening operations run from up to two hours before the first flight through the last flight’s departure; role may require availability outside standard business hours and response within one hour to urgent operational, safety, or security issues.
• Domestic travel required for corporate program reviews, TSA meetings, and multi-site coordination as applicable.

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.

Original Posting:

August 3, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

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 and Benefits

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

More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

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.