Program Engineering Manager

• Life Days are the Leidos way of recognising that we all need extra time to take care of life. By working slightly more than the minimum weekly hours (2 hours per week for full-timers), you can accrue up to 12 days of leave per year.
• Due to the nature of the role, you must be an Australian Citizen and hold an active NV-1 AGSVA security clearance.

Our team feel Leidos is a great place to work. Learn more about our culture and benefits by visiting us here https://www.leidos.com/company/global/australia/careers

Do Work That Matters

Leidos Australia delivers integrated technology and airborne solutions that protect and advance the Australian way of life. Our 2,000 local experts, backed by global experience and a trusted network of partners, work across government, intelligence, defence, aviation, border protection, health, and maritime domains. From cutting-edge technology to mission-critical systems, we’re solving the world’s toughest challenges to support national security and resilience—on land, in the air, and at sea.

Your New Role and Responsibilities

LAND 156 is a flagship Australian Defence initiative delivering a cutting-edge Counter-Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (CsUAS) capability. This program will protect ADF personnel and assets from evolving drone threats through a layered system of sensors, effectors, and command-and-control technologies.

Reporting to the Chief Engineer, the Program Engineering Manager for the LAND 156 Counter-UAS initiative will oversee the technical execution of integrated system of systems designed to detect, track, and neutralise aerial threats using cutting-edge Radar, Effector, and Laser technologies.

Responsibilities will include:

• Lead the engineering program across all phases—from concept development to system delivery—ensuring alignment with LAND 156 objectives.
• Oversee multidisciplinary teams working on Radar, Effector (kinetic and non-kinetic), and Directed Energy (Laser) systems integration.
• Translate operational requirements into system architectures and engineering strategies that meet performance, safety, and compliance standards.
• Manage technical risk, system interoperability, and cybersecurity across all subsystems and interfaces to ensure seamless operation.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagement, including Defence, industry partners, and internal teams, to ensure program milestones are met.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement, fostering a culture of technical excellence and mission focus.

What You’ll Bring to Make an Impact

• Proven experience in program-level engineering leadership within Defence, aerospace, or complex systems environments.
• Deep understanding of Counter-UAS technologies, including sensor fusion, kinetic weapons, EW systems, targeting systems, and high-energy platforms.
• Strong background in systems engineering, integration, and compliance with Defence standards.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.

Don’t worry if you don’t tick all the boxes – if you meet most of them, we encourage you to submit your application.  We’re most interested in your strengths, what you want to learn and how far you want to go.

Diverse Team Members, Shared Values and a Common Purpose

Providing our customers with smarter solutions takes an incredible team with diversity of thought, experience and perspectives driving innovation. Inclusion is at the heart of our culture and is one of our core values. It’s about creating a workplace where everyone can do important work, feels welcome, valued, and respected, and has equal access to opportunities to thrive. Paul Chase – Chief Executive, Leidos Australia.

Leidos Australia is an equal opportunities organisation and is committed to creating a truly inclusive workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disabilities, veterans, neurodiverse people, and people of all genders, sexualities, and age groups.

Our five Advocacy Groups (Women and Allies Network, Young Professionals, Defence & Emergency Services, Action for Accessibility and Abilities and Pride+) provide an opportunity for team members to connect and collaborate on shared interests, and work to support and celebrate our diverse community.

Next Steps

• To apply for this role, follow the links or apply via our Careers page.
• Recruitment process - 1 virtual interview and/or 1 face-to-face & background checks.
• Applicants may also need to meet International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) requirements. In certain circumstances this can place limitations on persons who hold dual nationality, permanent residency or are former nationals of certain countries as per ITAR 126.1.
• We are committed to making our recruitment process accessible to all candidates. Please get in touch with our Careers team [email protected] if you’d like to discuss any additional support during your application or throughout the recruitment process. 

At Leidos, we don’t want someone who "fits the mold"—we want someone who melts it down and builds something better. This is a role for the restless, the over-caffeinated, the ones who ask, “what’s next?” before the dust settles on “what’s now.”

If you’re already scheming step 20 while everyone else is still debating step 2… good. You’ll fit right in.

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.