VP UK Defence

Job Description:

Your impact

We are looking for an experienced business executive/leader to fill an exciting and strategic role to provide the leadership and overarching management of the Leonardo Cyber UK MOD business area.

Leonardo is a global high-tech company and one of the key players in Aerospace, Defence and Security. This role resides in the UK Cyber & Security Solutions Division which has strength in homeland security, critical national infrastructure and a wide range of Cyber and Digital systems and capabilities.  Cyber UK is developing new capabilities and service offerings to compete in a number of campaigns in the next 5 years. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to lead a primary growth area for Cyber UK.

The role presents an opportunity to be responsible for delivering a 5 year business plan; based on the success of these campaigns through the application of effective business leadership, strategy development, business winning, stakeholder management and programme management.

A key aspect of this role is to manage and lead the team in a fast paced, evolving environment where the customer is demanding new levels of performance and new approaches to current account and future requirements. There are direct programme management and sales reports under your leadership.

In order to make the most of this exciting business leadership and growth opportunity, you will able to demonstrate a strong track record of business development in this domain, coupled with P&L responsibility, stakeholder management and strategic thinking skills.

You can be based at any of our state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and can work flexibly with home working option. The role will require UK travel.

What you’ll do as VP Defence:

• Deliver and grow the Integrated Business Plan (IBP) for the sector; including revenue, cash, margin and orders
• Strategy Development and Deployment, supporting the wider Cyber strategy
• Secure the order intake associated with MOD campaigns
• Build the skills and capability of the team in line with campaign execution and order intake requirements
• Launch the resulting programmes through the programme teams, including delivery of the initial phases of customer and business value
• Inform the development of future capability and future campaigns
• Provide people leadership to the sector and wider cyber business and role model our People Management Framework
• Continue to evolve the business units offering in line with customer requirements and our service portfolio and developments in Digital
• Develop a network of partnerships and collaborative relationships across Industry and key customers to enable the strategy

What you’ll bring

• Proven experience as a business leader, Programme Manager or other managerial position in the Cyber domain and/or MOD environment
• Experience of business winning and being in a key external customer facing role.
• Detailed understanding of programme and financial controls.
• Demonstrated ability to influence both internally and externally at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally.
• Ability to proactivity manage poor performance and conflict resolution to mitigate detrimental impact to the customer and business objectives.
• Ability to provide effective delegation, management and coordination of business activities.
• A transformative thinker with excellent problem solving skills and initiative and the ability to think laterally.
• Individual and collective training leading the development of both individuals and cohesive teams
• Management and Integration of strategic partners and subcontractors, understanding of outsourcing, integration and risk sharing

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

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