Programme Manager

Job description

Programme Manager - Defence Gloucester Safran – Here, we craft excellence together. At Safran, excellence is a journey – and we'd love you to be a part of it. As a trusted global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future where we can all succeed together through a shared vision. Safran Landing Systems are a global leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, from commercial and business travel to military and defence fleets.

Our expertise covers the entire life cycle of our products from end-to-end; Design, Engineering & Manufacturing, through to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO). The Gloucester site has been at the forefront of landing gear technology for over 85 years, dating from the innovative designs of Sir George Dowty to advanced landing gears for the world's most modern aircraft today. Your role The Programme Manager will lead the development and delivery of UK and international defence programmes, from identifying and shaping new opportunities through bid, contract award and successful programme execution.

Working across the business and directly with customers, you'll drive programme performance, security and export compliance while ensuring quality, cost, delivery and commercial objectives are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and shape new defence programme opportunities, using market and customer insights to develop strong business and programme strategies.
• Drive bid and pre-contract activities, including RFIs and RFPs, defining programme scope, feasibility, planning and Quality, Cost and Delivery (QCD) commitments.
• Act as a senior customer-facing representative, working with Business Development and Commercial teams to support negotiations and align customer requirements with business objectives.
• Establish and lead Integrated Programme Teams (IPTs) following contract award, coordinating cross-functional teams to successfully deliver milestones and customer commitments.
• Manage overall programme performance, including QCD, profitability, customer satisfaction, risk, governance and compliance.
• Lead programme security across UK military programmes, embedding effective processes, supporting audits and ensuring evolving security requirements are understood and implemented.
• Oversee Export Control governance across UK Military and Commuter programmes, working with key stakeholders to maintain compliant international programme delivery.
• Champion programme management best practice and continuous improvement, driving effective planning, reporting, governance and risk management while engaging multidisciplinary teams around shared objectives. Looking after the people who make Safran great is our priority. We offer a range of flexible benefits designed to support you, both in and out of work, including:
• Competitive salary
• Early finish on a Friday
• 25 days of holiday, plus UK Bank Holidays, and we offer options to buy or sell days
• Annual bonus and share scheme options
• Pension scheme, with up to 8% matched contributions, and life assurance at 4x your salary
• Onsite parking, including EV chargers, a subsidised restaurant, bicycle storage, and shower facilities
• We offer a wide range of flexible benefits and working options (role dependant), enhanced maternity and family friendly benefits, because we know everyone's needs are different
• We support your ambitions with training, development, a personalised career plan and mobility opportunities.

What You'll Bring

• Degree-level qualification in Engineering, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience working within defence or aerospace, ideally involving military contracts and complex partnerships or consortiums.
• Proven cross-functional programme/project management experience, including developing new programmes from concept onwards.
• Strong customer-facing, leadership and stakeholder management skills, with experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Good commercial and business acumen, including contractual and financial understanding.

We know that some candidates may be put off applying for jobs where they don't meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the advert. We encourage anybody to apply if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to the requirements of this role. Please let us know if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the hiring process that may better facilitate your participation. We celebrate our differences and believe they make us stronger.

We know that a fulfilling work environment is a key driver for innovative ideas and team success.

Get involved

We also have a number of groups and forums across our sites that you can get involved with, including Women at Safran, Diversity at Safran, Sports Clubs, STEM ambassadors, Employee Forum, Charity Partnerships and Wellbeing Programs.