Lead Configuration and Change Manager

We're recruiting an experienced a Lead Configuration and Change Manager to oversee a growing portfolio of defence programmes, within our Electronic Warfare (EW) and Future Combat Air (FCA) Lines of Business.

As the Lead Configuration and Change Manager, you will provide oversight and support to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), while leading the Configuration and Data Management team. You will be responsible for implementing and continuously improving Configuration Management processes across the full programme lifecycle, ensuring robust governance and control from concept through to in-service support.

Working at the forefront of advanced defence technologies, you will ensure that hardware, firmware and software product baselines are accurately defined, maintained and controlled in accordance with contractual requirements, regulatory obligations and company standards.

Your responsibilities include:

• Identification, agreement, and control of Configuration Items in alignment with programme and regulatory requirements.
• Approval and oversight of configuration management plans, including baselines, updates, and change implementation plans.
• Ensuring compliance with the Five Pillars of Configuration Management and all relevant aerospace and defence standards.
• Configuration Identification – defining, documenting, and controlling CIs, baselines (Functional, Allocated, Product, As-Built, As Maintained), and their relationships in PLM systems.
• Configuration Control – managing changes via First Pass Filters (FPF), Configuration Control Boards (CCB), and Configuration Implementation Boards (CIB) to ensure structured, compliant change approval and embodiment.
• Configuration Status Accounting (CSA) – capturing, maintaining, and reporting CI status, change records, and KPIs, providing actionable intelligence to the Line of Business.
• Configuration Audits – planning and leading Functional Configuration Audits (FCA), Physical Configuration Audits (PCA), and internal/supplier audits to verify conformity between design, production, and documentation.
• Configuration Planning and Governance – establishing the Configuration Management Plan (CMP), managing team capacity, workload forward load, training, and KPI performance to ensure CM governance aligns with programme and contractual obligations.

• Extensive experience leading configuration and change control in defence, aerospace, or similarly regulated environments.
• Advanced experience using TCU at an organisational level.
• Experience defining and reporting KPIs to senior leadership.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience working with classified and export-controlled information.
• Understanding of supporting enterprise-wide CM frameworks or transformations.
• Knowledge of airworthiness or safety-critical systems.
• Familiarity with additional PLM/CM tools (e.g. Windchill, Teamcenter, Dimensions).

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting