Head of Programmes
Sector: UK defence and manufacturing
Full-time | Senior Leadership
Head of Programmes
Defence Manufacturing PMO Leadership Security Clearance Portfolio Management
Our client is a fast-growing, highly successful defence and manufacturing organisation with an enviable reputation for delivering complex, high-value programmes for some of the UK's most important customers. This is a career-defining opportunity for an experienced programme leader to shape delivery at scale — and grow with the business as it continues to expand.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the Head of Programmes will lead the Programme Management Office (PMO) — a multi-disciplined team comprising Project Managers, a Programme Manager and a Project Controller — driving delivery excellence across the full lifecycle, from bid through development to serial production.
The successful candidate will set the operating framework, own portfolio governance and represent programme performance at the most senior levels of the business. This is a role with real autonomy and a genuine mandate to build a best-in-class PMO within an organisation that values its programme function as central to its success.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead, develop and mature the PMO — owning processes, governance frameworks, reporting standards and team capability
- Provide portfolio-level oversight of delivery performance, risk, resource demand, financial exposure and inter-project dependencies
- Act as senior escalation point for Project Managers, resolving blockers and driving cross-functional alignment
- Own portfolio financial reporting — budgets, margin, Estimate at Completion and recovery planning
- Represent programmes to senior leadership and key customers with clear, evidence-based reporting
- Champion a culture of accountability, transparency, early escalation and collaborative problem-solving
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
- Significant senior experience in Programme, Project or Portfolio Management within a defence, manufacturing, aerospace or similarly regulated environment
- Proven track record leading a PMO or multi-project delivery function, including line management of project professionals
- Strong familiarity with UK defence procurement, security and export control processes
- Commercial and financial acumen — a clear understanding of contracts, margin and the business impact of delivery performance
- Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at the most senior levels
- Eligible to obtain and hold UK Security Clearance
- Desirable: APM PPQ / PMQ / MSP Practitioner qualification; experience with Power BI, SAP B1 or Microsoft Project.
WHY THIS ROLE
- Exceptional career progression — as the organisation grows, so does the scope and seniority of this role, with genuine visibility at board level
- Collaborative, high-performing culture — a business where cross-functional partnership is embedded and programme management is genuinely valued
- Mission that matters — programmes that contribute directly to UK defence capability and national security
- Build something lasting — the mandate and autonomy to develop a high-performing PMO that will underpin the company's next phase of growth
To find out more about this opportunity or to register your interest, please get in touch for a confidential discussion. Suitable candidates will be contacted directly.
Security Clearance - Due to the nature of the projects undertaken, applicants must either hold current UK Security Check (SC) Clearance or be eligible to obtain SC Clearance.
Equal Opportunities & Recruitment Statement:
We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. Applications are welcomed from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
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