Sector Lead - Defence - CK3445715

Overview

Lead and grow defence consultancy portfolio, overseeing large infrastructure programmes.

Key Responsibilities

• team leadership
• programme governance
• risk management
• stakeholder engagement
• strategic planning
• defence delivery

Tasks

As Sector Lead – Defence, you will provide strategic leadership across a portfolio of complex defence programmes, ensuring excellence in delivery, governance, and client engagement. This is a highly influential, client-facing role with responsibility for setting strategic direction, strengthening client relationships, and driving best practice across multiple workstreams. You will act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders across the MoD, major defence primes, and the wider defence estate, representing the consultancy at executive level and ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality outcomes. -Manage and mentor multi-disciplinary project teams, promoting a collaborative, high-performance culture -Drive innovation, continuous improvement, and best practice across all aspects of programme delivery -Ensure alignment between programme delivery, contractual obligations, commercial targets, and business strategy -Lead and grow the Defence sector offering across the business, setting strategic direction and ensuring consistent delivery excellence -Engage with stakeholders, regulators, and MoD representatives to ensure compliance within highly regulated environments -Provide leadership across programme governance, risk management, scheduling, and commercial management -Build and maintain senior-level relationships with defence clients, representing the business at board and programme leadership meetings -Work closely with technical, commercial and operational leaders to ensure effective integration and seamless programme execution -Oversee large-scale, multi-disciplinary defence infrastructure programmes from inception to completion

Requirements

• chartered
• nec4
• leadership
• consultancy
• security clearance
• defence

What You Bring

Location: Manchester or Leeds (Hybrid Working, UK-Wide Travel Required) You will be an experienced senior leader with a background in consultancy and a significant portfolio of construction or infrastructure projects delivered within the UK defence sector. This position is suited to a seasoned professional with extensive experience delivering construction and infrastructure projects within the defence sector, ideally gained at a leading consultancy. You will play a pivotal role in shaping, growing, and leading the consultancy’s defence portfolio, working across high-value, mission-critical programmes ranging from multi-million-pound infrastructure upgrades to major programmes exceeding £200m. This is a defining career opportunity for an experienced consultancy professional looking to lead and shape a thriving defence sector offering within a respected, forward-thinking organisation. The role can be based in Yorkshire or the North West, with UK-wide travel as required. -Excellent client engagement and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels -Experience working within a consultancy environment delivering construction and infrastructure projects for defence clients -Proven track record delivering complex, high-value defence, nuclear or regulated infrastructure programmes -Degree qualified in a relevant discipline (engineering, project management or related field) -Chartered status (RICS, ICE, APM, CIOB or equivalent) -Strong commercial acumen with experience managing large budgets and complex programme portfolios -A high-impact leadership role with genuine strategic influence -Eligible for UK MoD Security Clearance (sole UK nationals only, due to project sensitivity) -In-depth understanding of NEC4 contracts, commercial management, and programme governance -Strong leadership capability, with experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and leading at senior/executive level

People Also Searched For

Benefits

£100,000 – £120,000 + Executive Package -The opportunity to deliver programmes that directly enhance national capability and critical infrastructure -Executive package with excellent progression prospects -A flexible, people-first working culture and hybrid working

About Kingsley

-Headquartered in Liverpool since its founding, it blends industry insight with recruitment know‑how. -It matches professionals across surveying, property management, and construction roles. -While broadening into international, interim, and executive search, its core remains aligned to the built environment. -Its consultants support project portfolios in asset and property management, commercial, residential, and housing association sectors. -Kingsley often handles niche roles in engineering, construction, surveying, and town planning for blue‑chip and start‑up clients. -The firm streamlines talent discovery across surveying, built environment, and construction.

Sector Specialisms

Security Clearance

-eligibility for uk mod security clearance required (uk nationals only)