Australian Citizenship Required
Leading Defence Business
Program Manager - Commercially Focused

Lead a portfolio. Own the commercial outcome. Build major Defence partnerships.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Programs / Program Director to join a growing organisation delivering complex projects across the Defence and advanced engineering sector. This isn't a traditional Project Manager position. You'll sit above a portfolio of programs and Project Managers, taking ownership of the bigger picture: commercial performance, delivery, resourcing, customer relationships and portfolio growth. You will work across Engineering, Supply Chain, Commercial and Business Development while managing relationships with major industry primes, customers and production partners.

Your new role
Overall performance of a portfolio of complex engineering and Defence programs
Revenue, margin, budget and commercial outcomes
Leadership of Project Managers and multidisciplinary delivery teams
Senior relationships with customers, primes and strategic partners
Program mobilisation, execution, delivery and close-out
Resource and priority management across multiple concurrent programs
Contract, tender and commercial negotiations




Identifying opportunities to expand existing customer relationships
Supporting wider business strategy as part of the senior leadership team

What you'll need to succeed
Senior program, portfolio or delivery leadership experience
Experience across Defence, aerospace, engineering, manufacturing or a similarly complex workplace
Demonstrated management of multiple concurrent programs
Commercial/P&L; accountability
Robust contract and customer management capability
Experience leading Project Managers
Confidence operating with senior customers and stakeholders
The ability to understand technical delivery without needing to personally own the engineering solution
NV1 or ability to obtain Australian Citizenship

This would be a particularly strong move for a Senior Program Manager ready to step up, or an established Program Director, Head of Programs or Portfolio Manager looking for broader commercial and leadership accountability.

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV to @hays.com.au suitable candidates will be contacted.

If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a recent position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.

📌 Head Of Programs Defence & Commercial Melbourne
🏢 Hays Recruitment
📍 Melbourne