Senior Delivery Manager

Description Senior Delivery Manager Programme Name: LCST Location: Bristol, UK Role Overview We are seeking an experienced and collaborative Senior Delivery Manager to lead and support several cross‑functional IT development teams operating within a dynamic enterprise environment. In this role, your primary focus is to ensure that development capacity is effectively balanced between strategic Portfolio Assurance Group (PAG) prioritised project work and essential Business‑As‑Usual (BAU) activities—including defects, patching, and evergreening tasks. You will not own the project deliveries themselves, but you will own the capacity that is available and ensure it is applied to deliver maximum business value. Strategically, you will act as a bridge between iterative IT delivery, where the development teams use scrum‑derived ways of working, and large‑scale, Waterfall‑managed projects. By providing a clear, forward‑looking view of candidate sprints, you will empower internal Project Managers to refine their plans and reconcile sprint contents against project dependencies and milestones. You will also mentor teams as they grow more effective and confident in scrum‑derived practices. What will I be doing? 1. Capacity Balancing & Value Optimisation Balance Project and BAU Demands: Allocate team capacity between the PAG‑prioritised project pipeline and necessary technical debt, defects, patching, and evergreening. Optimise Business Value: Align the project portion of output with the highest PAG business priorities to achieve strategic goals each sprint. Balance Demand with Capacity: Evaluate incoming Project Manager demands against capacity and commitments, ensuring constructive resource sharing. Partner with Project Managers: Build positive relationships with internal Project Managers, maintaining open communication and transparency over capacity constraints. 2. Collaborative Planning Provide Forward‑Looking Roadmap Projections: Maintain a rolling forecast of candidate sprints for early visibility on delivery timelines. Enable Proactive Plan Adjustment: Share data insights that allow Project Managers to adjust baselines ahead of time. Support Dependency Visibility: Use Jira tooling to provide visibility for managing and reconciling dependencies. Maintain Backlog Health: Keep the teams’ Jira environment tidy to support data‑driven improvements in estimation and traceability. 3. Mentorship & Team Growth Support Team Learning: Mentor teams new to scrum‑derived ways of working, building stable velocity and reducing technical friction. Facilitate Ceremonies: Establish and run Stand‑ups, Planning, Refinement, and Retrospectives that build confidence and collaboration. Encourage Continuous Improvement: Use data from retrospectives to help teams mature and streamline delivery cycles. 4. Delivery Enablement & Governance Protect Team Focus and Workflow: Support clear intake channels, preventing disruptions to active sprints. Contribute to Process Improvements: Offer feedback and suggest continuous improvements to delivery paths. Support Release Governance: Ensure deliverables meet Definitions of Done, compliance, security documentation, and sign‐offs. What does Leidos need from me? Track Record: Proven experience as a Technical Delivery Manager or Agile Delivery Manager delivering work for multiple projects in a hybrid environment. Forward‑Looking Forecasting: Ability to create, maintain, and communicate clear iteration plans and capacity forecasts across a complex portfolio. Capacity Management Expertise: Proven ability to balance a split backlog between business projects and technical maintenance. Hybrid Environment Familiarity: Experience with portfolio structures where iterative teams support concurrent Waterfall corporate projects. Stakeholder Engagement: Strong communication and negotiation skills, partnering with senior leaders and Project Managers. Tooling Proficiency: Hands‑on experience with Jira and integration with MS Project. Matrix Leadership: Influence and guide technical teams without direct line authority. Clearance Requirements BPSS pre‑screening required to start. SC clearance required for the role. Benefits Contributory Pension Scheme. Private Medical Insurance. 33 days Annual Leave (including public and privileged holidays). Flexible benefits (life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, flexible holidays, cycle‑to‑work). Flexible Working Scheme. Pay range: £58,400–£74,900. Commitment to Diversity We welcome applications from every part of the community and are committed to a truly diverse and inclusive culture. We provide equal access to opportunities and support reasonable adjustments for applicants with disabilities. Commitment to Non‑Discrimination All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws. #J-18808-Ljbffr