Program Manager – Defence

Job Description

The Opportunity
A leading Saudi manufacturing group with a growing defence portfolio is hiring a Jeddah-based Program Manager to take full delivery ownership of a major defence manufacturing program. This is a Saudi national role reporting to the Operations Lead, with real decision-making authority — not a coordination seat.

Responsibilities

• Full accountability for one or more assigned defence programs: schedule, cost, quality, risk, and compliance, end to end.
• Formal decision rights over the program, defined through a Program Charter, RACI, and Delegation of Authority — this is a role with teeth, not just influence.
• Leadership of an Integrated Program Team across functions (planning, supply chain, production, quality) via matrix authority — setting priorities, sequencing execution, and holding functional heads accountable without owning their headcount.
• Escalation and corrective-action authority when functional delivery threatens program commitments.
• Ownership of the Integrated Master Schedule — baseline integrity, milestone health, critical path — working with Planning on recovery when things slip.
• Primary customer interface for program status and issue resolution, working alongside Contracts on formal change and claims communication.
• End-to-end risk, issue, and opportunity management across the program.
• Confirming cross-functional readiness (production, material, quality) before commitments are made to the customer — not after.
• Where applicable, mentoring and developing a Program Lead as part of succession planning.

Requirements

• Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business degree; engineering background preferred.
• PgMP (or equivalent program management certification) preferred.
• Working knowledge of IMS/program controls, earned value management, and structured risk management; lean manufacturing exposure a plus.
• 7–10 years in program or integrated delivery leadership within manufacturing, industrial, or otherwise regulated environments.
• A track record of driving cross-functional accountability in matrix structures — getting delivery from teams you don’t directly manage.
  Direct experience owning customer-facing program communication, not just internal reporting.
  Comfortable operating where process and systems maturity is still developing — someone who builds structure rather than waiting for it.
  Defence, aerospace, or other regulated-industry experience preferred but not a hard requirement if program execution capability is clearly demonstrated.