Delivery Manager – Software Factory

CompanyLeonardo

LocationReading, England, United Kingdom

Posted At2/27/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

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Occupation Type

IT managers

Occupation Code Skill LevelHigher Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£55,000 (£28.21 per hour)

Occupation rate applies

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Description

Leonardo is a global industrial group, among the main global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security that realises multi-domain technological capabilities in Helicopters, Aircraft, Aerostructures, Electronics, Cyber Security and Space. With over 60,000 employees worldwide, the company has a solid industrial presence in Italy, the UK, Poland and the US. It also operates in 150 countries through subsidiaries, joint ventures and investments. A key player in major international strategic programmes, it is a technological and industrial partner of governments, defence administrations, institutions and companies.

Within the GCAP Joint Venture, in the GCAP Technical Leadership UO, we are looking for a Delivery Manager – Software Factory for GCAP HQ in Reading (UK).

This role reports to the Product Owner - Software Engineering and is accountable for the design, set-up, and evolution of the Software Factory Product Area, delivering the enabling digital engineering capabilities that support the software lifecycle across the programme. The role does delivers toolchains, digital thread enablement, and scalable, secure development and test environments that underpin frequent and sometimes rapid software updates across the whole software supply chain, while maintaining readiness for qualification and certification evidence (e.g., alignment to DO-178C and associated supplements) and cyber-resilient operation.

The Product Owner defines the reference architectures and technical baselines for Software Factory toolchains and environments (including automated and manual code-generation toolchains, repositories, CI/CD, dependency and configuration management, test infrastructure, and evidence capture), translating business and engineering needs into a clear capability roadmap and prioritized backlog. The role ensures the modelling and lifecycle environments are compatible with, or efficiently translatable from, system-level representations to software-level artefacts to guarantee end-to-end traceability and assurance.

The Product Owner liaises closely with DE&D Product Owners, Delivery Managers, and Engineering stakeholders to ensure interoperability with partner and domain toolsets and alignment to enterprise standards, while coordinating boundary interfaces with the Delivery Manager - Processes and Integration, who owns process content and cross-system integration. The role drives partner alignment on common repositories and toolsets, defines secure and role-based access models for Domains and Parent Companies, and establishes common training pipelines to ensure software engineers are suitably qualified to operate the Software Factory. Through rigorous backlog management, vendor engagement, and technology evaluation, the Product Owner brings the Software Factory capability into service and evolves it to deliver the right enabling capabilities at the right time in the right way.

Key Capability Accountabilities and Objectives

Product Delivery & Lifecycle Management

Own the delivery and continuous improvement of Software Factory products and services, including toolchains, development environments, and digital thread capabilities integrated with the DE Digital Thread.
Provide specialized expertise in Software Factory solutions, supporting deployment, customization, and optimization of lifecycle environments that enable software development, verification, and evidence generation.
Translate business and engineering needs into clear product roadmaps, delivery plans, and prioritized backlogs for Software Factory capabilities.
Advise on best practices for toolchain architecture, environment design, and digital thread enablement across engineering teams.
Support the definition and deployment of technical baselines and reference architectures required to enable the utilization of Software Factory solutions, including integration points with other systems and Parent Companies / Domains capabilities.
Ensure Software Factory solutions are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with agreed quality, performance, and security targets.

Manage upgrades, enhancements, and decommissioning activities across the Software Factory product lifecycle.

Stakeholder & Business Engagement

Capture, challenge, and consolidate requirements for Software Factory capabilities to avoid duplication and fragmentation across teams and partners.
Communicate product vision, scope, risks, and progress clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Develop and implement workforce and cultural initiatives within scope, including defining and producing informational and training materials to support adoption of Software Factory tools and environments.
Define and design Domain and Supply Chain access models and onboarding to the Software Factory capability.
Design, implement, and support business change for the transition of people to new tools and environments, including defining and producing the training materials required.

Governance, Standards & Data Quality

Ensure adherence to enterprise standards for Software Factory architectures, environment baselines, and digital thread enablement.

Define and maintain reference architectures, data models, naming conventions, metadata standards, and access controls relevant to Software Factory tools and repositories.

Support regulatory, quality, and audit requirements related to engineering data, digital continuity, and certification evidence pathways.

Delivery Execution & Operational Excellence

Coordinate delivery across internal teams and suppliers, ensuring clear ownership, accountability, and handoffs within the Software Factory scope.
Monitor service performance, capacity, availability, technical debt, risks, and dependencies across toolchains and environments.
Drive incident resolution, root cause analysis, and continuous service improvement for the Software Factory capability.
Balance short-term delivery pressures with long-term architectural strategy, maintainability, and scalability of the Software Factory.

Vendor & Technology Management

Support relationship management with key technology vendors and system integrators for toolchains, repositories, automation, and environment provisioning.

Support contract management, license optimization, and vendor performance reviews to ensure cost-effective and compliant operation.

Contribute to technology evaluations, proofs of concept, and strategic tool selection to maintain an aligned, interoperable, and future-ready Software Factory.

Drive technology innovation in automation, model-based workflows, and evidence generation to improve speed, quality, and assurance.

Essential Qualifications

Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
Service Management certification (e.g., ITIL) or equivalent experience.
Project or Programme Management certification (e.g., APM, Prince2) or demonstrable experience in managing complex delivery environments.
Proven competence in software engineering toolchains, DevSecOps, software lifecycle environments, and digital thread enablement (minimum 10 years).
Proven experience in Model Based Software Design.
Proven experience in Aerospace and/or Defence market segments (minimum 10 years), with understanding of regulatory and certification frameworks (e.g., DO-178C and associated supplements).

Strong knowledge of Digital Engineering practices, including model-based engineering and environment provisioning.

Demonstrated ability to manage multi-partner and supplier integration within a Software Factory context.

Experience in defining and implementing common methods, standards, and toolchains across distributed teams and international partners.

Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse teams toward common objectives.

Strong financial and resource management skills, including planning, budgeting, and cost control for software engineering capabilities.

Security clearance or eligibility for clearance in defence program is mandatory.