Programme Security Officer

Job Description

Salary Range: £66,960 - £97,515

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 work at Leonardo UK will see you take the lead in solving customer problems in an agile, innovative and team-centric manner. The role may involve a blended hybrid working model, with a mixture of working from home and working on site at one of our Leonardo offices to ensure close collaboration with the wider team and with our customers.

Leonardo UK is seeking a Programme Security Officer (PSO) to join the Cyber & Security Solutions Division team.

The PSO is the ‘de facto’ Head of Security for the LUK’s Future Combat Air ambitions – both within GCAP and related national FCAS programmes. The programme is of utmost importance to UK PLC and Leonardo and is at the forefront of a range of business transformation activities. The PSO is responsible for ensuring that the programme meets contractual security requirements and LUK policy requirements, by providing security advice to the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) and acting as the focal point for all security activity within the project.

• Act as the focal point for all security domains pertaining to the Programme, providing advice and guidance to all key stakeholders, but principally to the SRO.
• Identify, measure, record and manage security risks on behalf of the SRO.
• Own key programme security artefacts (e.g. Security Management Plan, Security Risk Register).
• Ensure compliance with contractual security requirements and support internal and external security audit activity.
• Validate third‑party compliance against contractual requirements and oversee supplier risk assurance activity.
• Security reporting, including for project governance boards, KPIs, senior reporting/dashboards, and evidence collation for gate reviews or security cases. This role will report to SVP Future Combat Air who is the SRO for all Future Combat Air activities in the UK.
• Embed and promote a positive security culture in the Programme.
• Develop security initiatives within the Programme, where appropriate and in line with overarching LCSUK/LDOUK policy and intent.
• Work and align with other security functions within the business where appropriate.
• Act as a leader within a community of Security Officers, sharing best practice with other Security Officers within the business.
• Manage a team of security SMEs within the Programme.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of one of the most significant programmes in the UK, during which you will ensure that security outcomes meet the highest standards, in accordance with customer’s requirements and risk appetite. You will be supported in this role as part of a larger team of consultants, engineers and product domain specialists.

In addition to a passion for cyber and information security, you really must have:

• Core consulting skills – building client relations; adaptability to changing schedules; reliability and quality of task delivery; flexibility in working hours and locations; team player.
• Effective communicator at SRO and MoD 1
  * and 2
  * level to ensure key decisions are made with full awareness of security impact.
• Deep and practical understanding of security’s role as an enabler rather than a compliance tool.
• Ability to build consensus in culturally diverse and global teams.
• A proactive leader who takes ownership of problems and actively drives solutions.

• Chartership or equivalent level of knowledge in Cyber Security.

• An ambitious and creative drive to help safeguard UK national infrastructure.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, with the ability to guide teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Be expected to act as a point of escalation in the programme.
• Experience as a key point of contact with senior stakeholders (up to and…