Senior Programme Manager

General Dynamics Mission Systems engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of more than 13,000 top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defence and scientific arenas. In the UK, we are leading the way in avionics and communication systems. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency.

The Senior Programme Manager will lead the successful delivery of complex, high-value programmes within the UK TacCIS and wider defence, engineering and technical delivery environment. The role is responsible for driving programme performance across time, cost, quality, risk, financial and contractual commitments, while leading multidisciplinary teams, subcontractors and suppliers both directly and through subordinate managers.

The role requires strong programme governance, stakeholder management and customer leadership, with regular engagement at senior internal and external levels. The postholder will oversee programme planning, delivery assurance, financial control, risk and opportunity management, performance reporting and continuous improvement across a portfolio of medium to high complexity projects.

In addition to delivery responsibilities, the Senior Programme Manager will support business growth through capture, bid and proposal activity, ensuring opportunities are aligned to customer needs, business strategy and long-range planning objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the successful delivery of complex, high-value programmes across time, cost, quality, risk and contractual commitments.
• Manage programme teams, subcontractors, suppliers and delivery partners both directly and through subordinate managers.
• Establish robust programme governance, planning, reporting and performance controls across the portfolio.
• Own programme financial performance, including budgets, forecasting, cost control, EAC/ETC, cash and margin.
• Identify, assess and manage programme risks and opportunities, ensuring mitigation plans are implemented and escalated where required.
• Act as a senior interface with customers, users, internal stakeholders, suppliers and delivery partners.
• Provide clear, timely and accurate programme reporting to support senior decision-making.
• Lead cross-functional delivery teams across engineering, commercial, supply chain, finance and project controls.
• Ensure contractual deliverables, milestones, KPIs and customer commitments are met.
• Support business growth through capture, bid and proposal activity for new and follow-on opportunities.
• Drive continuous improvement across programme delivery, governance, team performance and customer outcomes.
• Align programme delivery with wider business strategy, long-range planning and organisational objectives.

The successful candidate will bring extensive experience in complex programme delivery, strong commercial and financial acumen, proven leadership of cross-functional teams and supply chains, and the ability to operate confidently across both Waterfall and Agile delivery environments. Experience in Tactical Communications, defence, engineering or similar complex technical domains would be advantageous.

• Extensive experience delivering complex, high-value programmes, including leadership of multidisciplinary teams and supply chains.
• Proven track record of leading programme delivery through subordinate managers, including governance of project and programme managers.
• Experience managing strategic programmes and/or portfolios of low to high complexity, within a structured delivery and governance framework.
• Demonstrable experience of financial management and commercial accountability at programme level.
• Experience of leading or contributing to strategic capture and proposal activities for follow-on or new business opportunities.
• Degree-qualified in a relevant discipline (e.g. Engineering, Business, IT) or equivalent experience.
• Professional certification (e.g. APM PMQ/APMP, SAFe Agilist or equivalent) is advantageous.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development aligned to programme leadership and delivery excellence.

Salary for this position is £76,000 - £96,000, depending on experience plus our excellent flexible benefits package.

We offer hybrid working - for this role ideally we are looking for an average of 2 days per week per month on site.

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose, offering impressive benefits: 

• A compressed nine-day fortnight and compressed hours - which means every other Friday off. 
• A personalized career development plan, alongside regular progress reviews - supporting and valuing your progression within the Company. 
• A flexible working environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded with flexible benefits 

We believe in maintaining a diverse workplace - inclusive of beliefs, cultural background, job experiences, thoughts and ideas. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we welcome you to join our inclusive team!

Our success is fuelled by our colleagues and the wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills they bring to the Company.

We are a Disability Confident Employer, as such we offer an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job.
Please email [email protected] if you would like your application to be considered under the DC Scheme.

All successful/appointed applicants must be able to obtain a level of UK Security clearance that is appropriate for the role and undertake suitable Right to work checks