Job Description
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
