Senior Program Manager - CDES

Leidos LLC; Fort Meade (MD); Hybrid; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Fort Meade, MD seeks an experienced Program Manager to lead the Cross Domain Enterprise Service (CDES) program for DISA, delivering secure enterprise information sharing. You will maintain program execution, manage budgets, schedules, and risk, and lead a multidisciplinary team across engineering, cybersecurity, and operations.

The role emphasizes customer engagement, strategic planning, and hands‑on leadership in a fast-paced environment with limited travel and potential telework.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience.
• 4+ years of experience supervising or leading technical teams, programs, or projects.
• Experience as Program Manager or equivalent delivery leader with direct accountability for program execution.
• Experience leading full lifecycle technology programs (requirements, development, integration, deployment, sustainment).
• Experience managing complex technical implementations with multiple teams, vendors, and customers.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Leidos Program Manager and primary customer interface, establishing and maintaining trusted relationships with DISA leadership and mission stakeholders.
• Maintain responsibility for program execution, financial performance, schedule, staffing, technical delivery, quality, and risk management.
• Provide hands‑on leadership to ensure priorities, dependencies, risks, and outcomes are understood and met.
• Lead a multidisciplinary organization spanning program management, systems engineering, cybersecurity, and operations.
• Translate mission priorities into executable plans and align resources to evolving needs.
• Oversee full technology lifecycle activities from requirements to deployment and sustainment.
• Drive successful execution with external partners and internal teams, ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Communicate program status, challenges, risks, and decisions clearly to leadership and stakeholders.

Skills

Program management

Leadership

Customer engagement

Financial management

Security clearance

Education

BA/BS degree

Master’s degree

Job description

Leidos’ Digital Sector is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the Cross Domain Enterprise Service (CDES) Engineering & Program Management Support program supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). CDES supports a critical Department of Defense mission by delivering and sustaining secure enterprise information‑sharing capabilities for DoD organizations and mission partners. Leidos provides an integrated team supporting program management, systems engineering, cybersecurity, technology development and implementation, customer engagement, deployment, and operational sustainment. The successful candidate will be a hands‑on, mission‑focused leader who is comfortable operating in a fast‑paced environment and engaging directly with the customer, employees, technical leaders, business stakeholders, and mission partners. This position requires a leader who remains closely connected to program execution, develops a strong understanding of the technical and operational environment, identifies issues early, removes barriers, and maintains strong customer relationships. The position is primarily located at Fort Meade, Maryland. Telework of up to approximately 25% may be available based on mission requirements, customer needs, team responsibilities, and program conditions. Travel is expected to be rare and primarily driven by specific mission or business requirements.

Primary Responsibilities

Serve as the Leidos Program Manager and primary customer interface, establishing and maintaining trusted relationships with DISA leadership, Government program personnel, mission stakeholders, and Leidos leadership. Maintain overall responsibility for program execution, financial performance, schedule, staffing, technical delivery, quality, contractual performance, risk management, and customer satisfaction. Provide active, hands‑on leadership across the program to ensure the team understands priorities, dependencies, risks, customer expectations, and required outcomes. Maintain sufficient understanding of current program activities and technical initiatives to effectively represent the program, support informed decision‑making, anticipate challenges, and drive successful execution. Lead a multidisciplinary organization supporting areas such as program management, systems engineering, cybersecurity, technology integration, operational support, and customer requirements. Partner closely with the customer to understand mission priorities, translate emerging requirements into executable plans, and align program resources to evolving needs. Lead execution across the full technology lifecycle, including requirements definition, solution development, integration, testing, security authorization, implementation, deployment, operational transition, sustainment, modernization, and technology refresh. Lead complex technology implementations involving multiple technical disciplines, Government organizations, external stakeholders, vendors, and mission partners. Ensure technical teams apply sound engineering and technology‑delivery fundamentals, including requirements management, architecture, interface management, systems integration, testing, cybersecurity, configuration management, operational readiness, and lifecycle sustainment. Maintain integrated visibility across technical, programmatic, financial, staffing, customer, and schedule dependencies, ensuring issues and risks are identified and addressed before they affect mission delivery. Manage program financial performance against the Annual Operating Plan, including revenue, operating income, margin, forecasting, Estimate at Completion, labor execution, and cost management. Maintain disciplined program‑management practices for schedule management, risk and opportunity management, staffing, quality, financial forecasting, contractual deliverables, and performance reporting. Lead, develop, and retain a high‑performing team of program managers, project managers, engineers, cybersecurity professionals, technical specialists, and support personnel. Maintain direct engagement with employees and technical leaders to understand workload, priorities, morale, staffing needs, execution challenges, and professional‑development opportunities. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, technical excellence, continuous improvement, and mission ownership. Communicate program status, technical challenges, financial performance, risks, opportunities, and required decisions clearly to Government and Leidos leadership. Drive continuous improvement in program execution, customer experience, technical delivery, internal processes, and organizational effectiveness. Support proposal development, contract modifications, emerging requirements, and other opportunities for on‑contract and adjacent growth. Represent Leidos during customer meetings, program reviews, technical discussions, leadership engagements, and other program forums.

Leadership Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on program leader who remains close to the customer, the people, and the work. The Program Manager is expected to engage directly with technical teams, participate actively in customer discussions, understand current challenges, ask informed questions, make decisions, remove obstacles, and ensure commitments are delivered. Success requires balancing strategic leadership with active involvement in program execution. The successful candidate should be equally comfortable discussing financial performance with Leidos leadership, mission priorities with the customer, technology implementation challenges with technical teams, workforce issues with employees, and program risks with senior stakeholders. Most importantly, this individual must be able to build trust with both the customer and the team while creating the clarity, accountability, and focus necessary to successfully execute a complex and evolving mission. This version keeps the mission recognizable to qualified candidates without exposing unnecessary detail about staffing, revenue, specific contractual tasking, deployment locations, or implementation specifics.

Basic Qualifications

• BA/BS degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience. Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 4+ years of experience supervising or leading technical teams, programs, or projects.
• Previous experience as a Program Manager, Deputy Program Manager, Task Order Manager, Project Manager, or equivalent delivery leader with direct accountability for program execution.
• Demonstrated experience leading programs involving the full lifecycle development, implementation, integration, deployment, and sustainment of technology solutions.
• Experience managing complex technical implementations involving multiple teams, stakeholders, vendors, dependencies, and customer organizations.
• Strong understanding of systems and technology‑delivery fundamentals, including requirements, architecture, engineering, integration, testing, cybersecurity, implementation, operations, and lifecycle support.
• Demonstrated ability to develop sufficient understanding of complex technical environments to effectively lead teams, communicate with customers, identify risks, challenge assumptions, and support sound program decisions.
• Experience managing the financial performance of Government contracts, including forecasting, budget management, labor execution, Estimate at Completion, revenue, operating income, and margin.
• Proven ability to build strong customer relationships and operate effectively as a trusted partner to Government leadership.
• Experience regularly communicating with senior Government and corporate leadership and presenting complex programmatic and technical information clearly and concisely.
• Proven ability to lead diverse, high‑performing teams across multiple technical disciplines and levels of experience.
• Demonstrated ability to operate successfully in a fast‑paced environment with competing priorities, evolving requirements, and significant customer interaction.
• Strong problem‑solving, critical‑thinking, negotiation, influence, and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication capabilities.
• Experience supporting proposals, contract modifications, new requirements, or other business‑growth activities.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Candidate must possess an active DoD Secret security clearance and be eligible to obtain and maintain higher‑level clearance and access requirements as needed by the mission.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active DoD Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance.
• PMP certification or equivalent formal program/project‑management credential.
• Prior experience supporting DISA, DoD enterprise IT, Combatant Commands, Military Services, Defense Agencies, or other national‑security customers.
• Experience supporting secure or classified enterprise technology environments.
• Experience with cross‑domain technologies, cybersecurity, Risk Management Framework, Assessment & Authorization, or other DoD security processes.
• Experience managing Firm Fixed Price Government services contracts with responsibility for labor execution, financial performance, operational efficiency, and margin.
• Experience integrating Government and commercial technologies into established enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with modern software‑development, infrastructure, automation, DevSecOps, identity‑management, networking, cybersecurity, and enterprise‑architecture concepts.
• While the program is not cloud‑centric, a strong understanding of contemporary technology‑development and implementation fundamentals is valuable.
• Demonstrated record of strong customer satisfaction, program execution, employee development, financial performance, and business growth.

Pay Range

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and 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.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available here.

Commitment and Diversity

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.

Original Posting

September 18, 2026

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 $17.2 billion for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2026. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

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.