Senior Program Manager – Defense Sector (Reston, VA)

The Defense Sector at Leidos is seeking an accomplished Senior Program Manager to join our team in Reston, VA. This is a high‑visibility leadership opportunity to oversee a $900M complex program supporting a diverse portfolio of DoD customers.

The Senior Program Manager will drive the quality, performance, and efficiency of all contract activities, ensuring excellence across technical execution, business operations, customer engagement, and program growth. This leader will serve as the primary decision‑making authority for Leidos in response to Government inquiries, concerns, and feedback. The PM must proactively identify and communicate potential contractual, programmatic, or resource‑related risks to both Government stakeholders and Leidos leadership.

This role includes occasional travel, which may involve international locations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Current PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification
• Active Top Secret (TS) clearance with SCI access based on a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI)
• Minimum of 10 years of program management experience
• Demonstrated experience leading programs valued at $500M or more, including planning, directing, coordinating, and managing program methodologies and approaches
• Active TS/SCI clearance based on an SSBI (reiterated requirement)

Desired Qualifications

• Experience managing projects governed by Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) requirements, regulations, and processes (e.g., Germany, Southwest Asia, Africa)
• Experience leading programs with multiple OCONUS performance locations
• Business development experience supporting growth initiatives

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.

Original Posting:

January 12, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $154,050.00 - $278,475.00

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.