About the role
The Senior Program Manager – Network & Telecommunications Operations will serve as the primary Leidos program leader responsible for successful execution of a large, complex global network operations and modernization program. The Program Manager will lead an integrated organization responsible for maintaining mission-critical network availability while driving operational improvement and modernization. The role requires the ability to integrate network operations, engineering, service management, automation, transition, workforce, subcontractors, OEMs, and geographically distributed support organizations into a cohesive delivery model. The Program Manager will establish strong relationships with Government leadership and technical stakeholders and translate mission priorities into measurable operational outcomes, including network availability, service restoration, performance, SLA attainment, modernization progress, operational efficiency, and customer experience. Key Responsibilities Customer & Program Leadership Serve as the senior Leidos program representative and primary interface with Government program leadership, contracting officials, technical stakeholders, and other mission partners. Maintain accountability for overall program performance, contractual execution, customer satisfaction, financial performance, schedule, quality, and risk. Establish an integrated operating model across program management, network operations, engineering, service management, field/regional support, subcontractors, OEMs, and other external providers. Build trusted relationships with senior Government stakeholders and provide concise, decision-oriented program, technical, operational, financial, and risk reporting. Lead executive reviews, program management reviews, operational performance reviews, and corrective-action activities. Global Network Operations Provide leadership and oversight for mission-critical 24x365 enterprise network operations supporting geographically distributed domestic and international locations. Drive reliable delivery of network monitoring, Tier II/III support, incident and problem management, service restoration, configuration management, performance management, and capacity management. Establish measurable service levels and operational performance objectives focused on network availability, resilience, restoration time, service quality, and mission impact. Integrate operational teams, escalation paths, engineering support, field resources, and external providers to reduce handoffs and accelerate restoration. Promote proactive and predictive operations that identify degradation and risk before mission services are affected. Network Engineering & Modernization Lead execution across network operations and engineering organizations to ensure modernization occurs without disruption to ongoing mission operations. Oversee network lifecycle sustainment, technology refresh, configuration standardization, network performance improvement, and transition from legacy to modern network architectures. Drive adoption of automation, observability, standardized configurations, repeatable engineering practices, and data-driven operations where they improve reliability and efficiency. Establish disciplined processes for testing, validating, introducing, and operationally accepting network changes. Ensure modernization activities produce measurable improvements while reducing rather than perpetuating legacy infrastructure and operational complexity. Our current intelligence suggests DOS will need to sustain legacy environments while its newer network architecture expands, making the ability to lead RUN + modernize particularly relevant to this position. Service Delivery & Continuous Improvement Establish and manage operational KPIs, SLAs/SLOs, service-health measures, and executive performance reporting. Drive continuous improvement in network availability, mean time to detect and restore, incident recurrence, change success, service performance, and customer experience. Promote automation and operational analytics to reduce repetitive work, improve consistency, and increase engineering capacity. Lead root-cause analysis and corrective-action programs for significant incidents and recurring operational problems. Ensure lessons learned translate into improved processes, engineering standards, automation, training, and operational practices. Transition & Risk Management Lead transition planning and execution for a complex incumbent environment while maintaining uninterrupted mission operations. Establish transition readiness criteria, knowledge-transfer plans, staffing ramps, operational acceptance gates, risk registers, and service-continuity measures. Identify and proactively mitigate programmatic, technical, staffing, schedule, financial, transition, supplier, and operational risks. Maintain contingency and continuity plans appropriate for mission-critical global network operations. Workforce & Partner Management Lead a large, geographically distributed workforce that may include employees, subcontractors, OEMs, telecommunications providers, and specialized technical partners. Develop organizational structures, staffing plans, succession strategies, and workforce-development plans aligned to evolving network technologies and mission requirements. Recruit, retain, develop, and motivate technical and management personnel supporting high-availability operations. Hold subcontractors and suppliers accountable for performance, service levels, cost, schedule, and quality. Foster an integrated team culture centered on mission outcomes, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Financial & Contract Management Manage program financial performance, budgets, forecasts, staffing, subcontractor expenditures, and other program resources. Manage a large, complex federal task-order environment with disciplined cost, schedule, scope, and risk controls. Identify opportunities to improve operating efficiency while protecting service quality and mission performance. Partner with Contracts, Finance, Procurement, HR, Security, and other Leidos organizations to ensure compliant and effective program execution. Basic Qualifications Top Secret Security Clearance. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Telecommunications, Engineering, Business, Management, or a related discipline with 12+ years of relevant experience , or Master's degree with 10+ years of relevant experience . Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree consistent with Leidos policy. 7+ years of demonstrated leadership of large, complex IT infrastructure, network operations, telecommunications, or enterprise managed-services programs. Demonstrated experience managing 24x7/365 mission-critical IT or network operations . Experience leading large, geographically distributed technical organizations, including multiple teams, functional leads, and subcontractors. Demonstrated experience managing enterprise network operations and associated engineering, incident/problem management, service management, performance management, and lifecycle activities. Experience leading technology modernization or transformation while maintaining ongoing production operations . Demonstrated experience managing large federal contracts or task orders, including financial performance, staffing, schedule, contractual performance, risk, and customer relationships. Demonstrated ability to manage complex program transitions, including incumbent knowledge transfer, workforce transition, operational readiness, and continuity of service. Experience establishing and managing SLAs, KPIs, operational metrics, corrective actions, and continuous-improvement programs. Strong executive communication skills with demonstrated ability to communicate technical, operational, financial, and program risks to senior Government and corporate leadership. Ability to work effectively with network OEMs, telecommunications providers, subcontractors, and other external partners. Preferred Qualifications Previous Department of State experience, particularly supporting global IT infrastructure or Diplomatic Technology. Leadership experience on major DoD, DISA, civilian federal, or other global enterprise network programs of comparable scale and complexity. Experience supporting domestic and OCONUS network operations. Experience with enterprise WAN/LAN, SD-WAN, software-defined networking, wireless, cloud connectivity, network management, and modern network architectures. Experience with network observability, AIOps, network automation, configuration automation, or automated remediation. Experience consolidating NOCs, tools, operational processes, or geographically distributed support organizations. Experience managing legacy-to-modern network migrations and coexistence environments. Experience with ITIL-based service management and ServiceNow or comparable enterprise ITSM platforms. Experience establishing test, validation, operational-readiness, and change-assurance practices for large production networks. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. ITIL, networking, cloud, Agile, or other relevant professional certifications. If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: October 21, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $139,100.00 - $251,450.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.