Project Engineering Manager in Luton

Salary Range - £75,000 - £82,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your Impact

At Leonardo, we have a fantastic opportunity for a Project Engineering Manager (PEM) to join our team within the Customer Support and Service Solutions (CS3) line of business. CS3 operates across the UK, providing innovative and invaluable support solutions to our customers in the Land, Sea and Air domains. We help to ensure the availability of front-line capability wherever and whenever required for military defence and civil customers. This role will support projects within the CS3 Service Delivery team.

As a PEM you will lead and manage a multi-disciplinary engineering team controlling, reporting and supporting on a number of different projects. You will be critical to our success and responsible for creating a supportive environment that motivates our engineering teams.

What you’ll do as a Project Engineering Manager:

• Be the Customer facing representative for engineering delivery
• Plan, lead, monitor, adapt, and report on our engineering activities to make our support solution delivery successful and ensure the full range of in-service technical elements including maintenance, repair, software, hardware, processes and upgrades for all contracts and customers are addressed and managed
• Plan and monitor engineering resource expenditure to ensure that resources are available and utilised within budget and in the most cost-effective manner
• Responsible for reporting engineering performance both internally and externally, including summary of overall performance of contracts/services, engineering milestone status and adherence
• Manage Key Technical Issues/Problems/Resolution
• Manage Engineering Risk and Opportunity
• Deliver on commitments made to both internal and external Customers and Partners
• Provide engineering solutions and estimates to current and future bid and proposal activities, including support to the design of new or improved support solutions to secure new business
• Identification of opportunities to optimise the current business, or expand the business areas, through project scope increases or peripheral work streams
• Maintain project compliance with the company policies and procedures, including life cycle management
• Responsible for maintaining a positive working relationship across all internal and external stakeholders, and achieve Customer and Partner relationships and satisfaction through an understanding of their needs and drivers
• Mentor and manage the performance and development of the engineering team members
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the engineering team, from identification through to effective implementation of product, process and service improvements - with the focus on cost, performance and Customer/Partner satisfaction

What You’ll Bring

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• Proven experience related to Defence/Government and Civil equipment in a support environment in Air domain, Rotary and fixed wing. Knowledge of Land and Sea domains advantageous
• Proven leadership skills and experience in managing and motivating multi-disciplined and geographically dispersed teams
• Proven communication & negotiation skills at all internal and external levels
• In-service knowledge and operation of multi-contractual support environment
• Demonstrated ability to work in multi company collaborations or partnered working environments and building strong trusted relationships
• Experience of multifunctional team management with skills and strength to supervise, coach, train and motivate teams
• Self-motivated with an aptitude for problem solving and driving difficult issues to conclusion
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience of delivery to a variety of audiences
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated with a strong ability to foster and develop effective working relationships with both external and internal stakeholders at varying levels of seniority, while working in challenging environments with often fluid priorities

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).

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
• 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!