Program Manager

SLR Recruitment are currently seeking a Programme Manager — Advanced Shipbuilding

Southampton | Full-time, On-site | £50k–£70k + Equity

We're not looking for a caretaker. We're looking for someone hungry to make their mark.

We're the UK arm of a global shipbuilding group known for high-performance vessels built for defence, government, and commercial clients around the world. Backed by serious international scale and a growing order book, we're building our UK presence from the ground up — running lean, moving fast, and punching well above our size.

That means real autonomy. Real ownership. And a genuine seat at the table as we scale.

If you're ambitious, restless, and ready to prove what you can do — if you've already had a taste of defence or government contracting and you're itching for more responsibility than your current role gives you — this is your chance to stop being a cog in someone else's machine and start building something that's actually yours.

The Role

You'll take the reins on complex, high-value shipbuilding programmes, from contract award through to delivery, owning technical, cost, and schedule performance along the way. You'll be the face of the business to governmental customers, the glue holding cross-organisational delivery teams together, and the person in the room when it matters.

This isn't a role where you wait to be told what to do. We want someone who spots the problem before it's a problem, chases the margin relentlessly, and has the confidence to make the call and own the outcome.

What you'll be doing

· Owning programme delivery — technical, cost, and schedule — against the Programme Management Plan

· Acting as the primary point of contact with governmental customers, leading reviews and building trust

· Coordinating group companies, partner shipyards, and subcontractors to keep execution sharp and aligned

· Tracking performance indicators and driving recovery action the moment something drifts off baseline

· Getting ahead of risk. spotting it early, owning the mitigation, seeing it through

· Managing contractual compliance and milestone delivery alongside our Commercial/Contract team

· Handling payment milestone processes and evidence submission to the customer

· Working with group specialists on export control, logistics, and customs

· Reporting into the Group Steering Committee and having a real voice in the direction we take

What we're looking for

· Some exposure to defence, government, or highly regulated commercial contracts — you don't need 20 years, you need the right instincts and the ambition to run with them

· A track record (even an early one) of taking ownership and getting things over the line, fast

· Comfortable operating across technical, commercial, and stakeholder conversations without needing hand-holding

· Commercially sharp and relentlessly margin-focused, you notice money left on the table and you go after it

· Strong communicator who can hold their own with governmental customers and international partners

· Eligible for UK security clearance (SC minimum)

· Up for international travel, including to group sites in France and beyond

· Most importantly: dynamic, driven, unapologetically ambitious, and genuinely excited by the idea of building something rather than just running it

Why join us

· Shareholder opportunity — build equity in a business that's going somewhere, not just draw a salary

· A genuine growth story — join early, grow with us, and help shape what this business becomes as we push toward global leadership

· Private health insurance, incentivisation scheme, flexible working

The Package

· £50,000–£70,000 depending on experience

· Shareholder / equity opportunity

· Private health insurance

· Incentivisation scheme

· Flexible working hours
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed