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Leidos

Defense, intelligence, and civil IT solutions

Program Manager Airport Screening Operations

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/2/2026
$107.9k - $195.1k/yr
Senior, Expert
Bachelor's
Rochester, NY, USA
In Person
No H1B Sponsorship
US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required

About the job

Requirements
  • Seven years of general management experience, or at least three years as a certified Supervisory Transportation Security Officer or in a higher position.
  • A Bachelor's degree in Business, Aviation Management, Public Administration, Security Management, or a related discipline is preferred; four years of directly related experience may substitute for the degree.
  • One of the following: a formal program/project management certification issued by the Federal Government (such as FAC-PM, DAWIA, or U.S. DHS) or a non-government credential such as PMP; or at least five years of management experience in aviation security, airport operations, or personnel security services. Demonstrated supervisory experience in a Federal Government environment is highly desired.
  • Ability to communicate verbally and in writing effectively, efficiently, and professionally.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance; TSA will sponsor the Facility/Personnel Security Clearance process.
  • U.S. citizenship is required.
  • Strong understanding of federal contract compliance, firm-fixed-price performance-based contracts, and operational metrics or Contractor Performance Management Plan-style measurement.
  • Demonstrated experience briefing senior government customers at the Contracting Officer or Federal Security Director level.
  • Ability to work flexible hours, including early and late coverage and 24/7 on-call availability, given the airport's extended screening hours.
  • Prior experience with the TSA Screening Partnership Program or a comparable Department of Homeland Security/TSA aviation-security services contract is preferred.
  • Experience supporting TSA, DHS, FAA, or other federal aviation or homeland security programs is preferred.
  • Experience leading large operational transitions or workforce mobilizations is preferred.
  • Experience with DHS 4300A/NIST 800-53 compliance environments or comparable federal IT/cyber compliance oversight is preferred.
  • Project Management Professional certification or equivalent is preferred.
  • Experience with workforce management systems, operational reporting tools, and performance dashboards is preferred.
  • A Secret security clearance must be maintained throughout the life of the contract; loss of or inability to obtain clearance may result in removal from the contract.
  • Pre-hire vetting and suitability determination through TSA Personnel Security is required for all contractor personnel.
Responsibilities
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for all coordination and communication with the TSA Contracting Officer and/or Federal Security Director or designee at Rochester airport.
  • Remain available 24 hours a day, every day, to receive and implement orders or special instructions from the Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer's Representative, and/or Federal Security Director or designee within the contract scope concerning operation, protection, or screening of assigned areas.
  • Manage all work associated with providing security screening services, meeting TSA performance objectives for program management, workforce management, equipment maintenance and materials management, reporting, responsiveness, customer service, quality control, subcontractor management, and safety and health compliance.
  • Provide overall leadership for aviation security screening operations and ensure compliance with contract requirements, TSA regulations, and federal aviation security standards.
  • Direct day-to-day screening operations, staffing levels, scheduling, and shift flexibility across passenger and baggage checkpoints.
  • Own the Operational Summary Plan and Report and weekly actuals reporting, and brief the Federal Security Director or designee on strategy-versus-execution differences within required timeframes.
  • Monitor and report program performance against the Contractor Performance Management Plan and Acceptable Quality Levels; respond to Contractor Improvement Reports and submit Corrective Action Plans as needed.
  • Establish and oversee pre-employment, reasonable-suspicion, random, and post-accident drug and alcohol testing for screening personnel, consistent with 14 CFR Part 120 and 49 CFR Part 40.
  • Direct the task order's organizational structure, including management of subcontractor personnel and roles and the overall quality-control and quality-assurance approach for screening operations.
  • Own compliance oversight for task-order Information Technology Acquisition Review requirements, including RMF/ATO, continuous monitoring, incident reporting, PIV/HSPD-12, staff training and NDA tracking, SSI safeguarding, and the Continuity of Operations Plan and annual exercise, or delegate these duties to named leads.
  • Lead recruitment and retention strategy for the screening workforce, including staffing-risk mitigation for background-check and vetting lead times that cannot be shortened.
  • Coordinate implementation of TSA best practices adopted for Rochester airport: non-uniformed supervisor role, in-queue monitor, Dual-Function Screening staffing, weekly operations-readiness meetings, and Local Evaluation Testing participation.
  • Serve as the point of contact for Contractor Performance Management Plan measurement and federal augmentation coordination if staffing shortfalls occur.
  • Be onboarded and available as soon as possible after the start of the task-order transition period, and remain available throughout the transition period.
Desired Qualifications
  • Prior experience with the TSA Screening Partnership Program or a comparable DHS/TSA aviation-security services contract.
  • Experience supporting TSA, DHS, FAA, or other federal aviation or homeland security programs.
  • Experience leading large operational transitions or workforce mobilizations.
  • Experience with DHS 4300A/NIST 800-53 compliance environments or comparable federal IT/cyber compliance oversight.
  • Project Management Professional certification or equivalent.
  • Experience with workforce management systems, operational reporting tools, and performance dashboards.

About the company

Leidos is a large technology and engineering company that serves defense, intelligence, healthcare, and civil government customers. It provides scientific, engineering, and IT solutions to help ensure safety, health, and efficiency, from upgrading air traffic control to strengthening cybersecurity for critical missions. The company delivers integrated systems and services—software, research, cyber defense, and digital modernization—through programs that span government and commercial clients. Leidos stands out through its long history as SAIC’s split-off and rapid growth via major acquisitions, creating a broad, mission-focused portfolio across defense, space, intelligence, and civilian sectors. Its overarching goal is to help customers solve hard problems with advanced technology, enabling safer operations and better public services.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Reston, Virginia

Founded

1969

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Leidos raised 2026 guidance after Q2 revenue reached 4.6 billion and bookings hit 4.9 billion.
  • Leidos won 926 million for Navy networks and 127 million to extend ARTEMIS through 2027.
  • Jeff McElfresh joined the board October 1, 2026, strengthening infrastructure, cybersecurity, and transformation credibility.

What critics are saying

  • Leidos lost the CBP cyber operations center recompete, triggering 84 Ashburn layoffs starting November 23, 2026.
  • Leidos still relies on huge federal incumbencies; any recompete loss quickly hits revenue and staffing.
  • If Navy or Army renewals slip in 2027, Leidos loses mission-critical scale and credibility.

What makes Leidos unique

  • Leidos pairs federal mission work with productized AI, like UpHold Effect, launched September 29, 2026.
  • Leidos runs sticky, scale contracts: Navy networks, ARTEMIS, and Department of War cyber operations.
  • Leidos combines defense, civil, health, and intelligence delivery across 50,000 employees and 48.7 billion backlog.

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Benefits

Medical, dental, & vision insurance

Health Savings account

Income protection

PTO

Paid parental leave

Jury duty pay

Bereavement leave

401(k) Retirement Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Family Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

↑ 8%

1 year growth

↑ 8%

2 year growth

↑ 8%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 1st, 2026
AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh joins Leidos board to oversee $250B infrastructure transformation

Leidos has appointed Jeff McElfresh, AT&T's chief operating officer, to its board of directors effective 1 October. McElfresh brings over 30 years of experience at AT&T, where he currently oversees a $250 billion nationwide advanced connectivity infrastructure transformation. His expertise in cybersecurity, data management, and infrastructure aligns with Leidos' digital operations and expanding energy infrastructure business. Before AT&T, McElfresh worked as a defence technology engineer on aerospace and maritime projects. With McElfresh's addition, Leidos' board expands to 11 members. He will serve on the Corporate Governance and Ethics and Technology and Information Security committees. Leidos, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, employs 50,000 people globally and reported annual revenues of approximately $17.2 billion for the fiscal year ended 2 January 2026.

MarketScreener
Sep 29th, 2026
Leidos Holdings, Inc. introduces UpHold Effect? Agentic SOC Automation.

Leidos Holdings, Inc. introduces UpHold Effect? Agentic SOC Automation. Published on 09/29/2026 at 03:43 pm EDT S&P Capital IQ Leidos Holdings, Inc. introduced UpHold Effect? Agentic SOC Automation, a capability that uses AI agents around the clock to help security operations center teams identify threats requiring immediate action amid a deluge of cyber alerts. UpHold Effect? Agentic SOC Automation helps federal security teams move from alert overload to clear guidance and automated response while keeping human analysts in control. Around-the-clock investigation: AI agents can triage alerts, gather context and assemble findings for analysts to review. Integration with existing tools: The capability is designed to work with current security technology rather than require agencies to replace their existing systems. Customer-controlled autonomy: Organizations decide what the AI can investigate, recommend or act on. Auditable decisions: Recommendations and actions create records showing what the AI observed, concluded and proposed or did. Federal deployment options: A FedRAMP Class D (High) deployment option is available. The capability can also provide a pathway toward Department of war Impact Level 4 and 5 environments with appropriate government sponsorship. UpHold Effect? Agentic SOC Automation works across an organization's existing security tools to investigate alerts, gather information and recommend next steps. Customers determine how much authority the AI receives based on their mission, risk tolerance and governance requirements. Agentic SOC Automation is a feature within UpHold Effect?, Leidos' offering for agentic cyber response and part of the UpHold? product suite. UpHold Effect? applies automation across areas including adversary detection, cyber deception, cloud security and threat hunting while allowing customers to set governance and operational controls. (C) S&P Capital IQ - 2026

PR Newswire
Sep 29th, 2026
Leidos launches agentic AI platform to speed cyber threat response

Leidos has launched UpHold Effect Agentic SOC Automation, an AI-powered platform designed to help federal security teams respond faster to cyber threats. The system uses AI agents to triage alerts, gather context, and assemble findings for human analysts to review around the clock. The platform integrates with existing security tools rather than requiring system replacements. Organisations control what the AI can investigate, recommend, or act upon, with all decisions creating auditable records. A FedRAMP Class D deployment option is available, with pathways to Department of war Impact Level 4 and 5 environments possible with government sponsorship. "Cyber teams need to keep pace with threats without giving up control," said Steve Hull, president of Leidos Digital. The platform aims to reduce investigative workload whilst allowing analysts to focus on threats requiring human judgement. Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $17.2 billion for the fiscal year ended 2 January 2026.

PR Newswire
Sep 22nd, 2026
Leidos wins $127M contract to extend ARTEMIS airborne ISR mission for U.S. Army

Leidos has secured a contract worth up to $127 million to continue providing the Airborne Reconnaissance and Targeting Exploitation Multi-Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS) for the U.S. Army. The contract extends ARTEMIS intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations within the U.S. European Command area of responsibility through summer 2027, with two additional option years. Leidos has supported the mission since 2020. The company provides a comprehensive Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated ISR capability built around a modified Bombardier Challenger 650 aircraft, including the aircraft, mission systems, flight operations, and support services. Originally fielded as a technology demonstrator, ARTEMIS has evolved into a globally deployable, high-altitude ISR platform that strengthens the Army's intelligence collection capabilities whilst providing flexibility to support operations across multiple theatres.

GovCon Wire
Sep 22nd, 2026
Former Leidos executive Kim Denver named KBR contracts, supply chain SVP.

Former Leidos executive Kim Denver named KBR contracts, supply chain SVP. * Denver will lead a newly created contracts and supply chain organization * He spent more than 13 years at Leidos, most recently as global chief supply chain officer * He previously served as deputy assistant secretary of the Army for procurement KBR has named Kim Denver senior vice president of contracts and supply chain, putting him in charge of a newly created organization combining both functions. The company announced the appointment Monday in a LinkedIn post, noting that Denver will focus on growth, strategic partnerships and commercial practices. Who is Kim Denver? Denver spent more than 13 years at Leidos, most recently as senior vice president and global chief supply chain officer and chief contracts executive. He joined the company in 2013 as corporate contracts director and held successive roles covering contracts, procurement and pricing. Before that, he served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for procurement, directing more than 8,000 military and civilian contracting personnel and overseeing more than 270 Army contracting offices worldwide. He held that post from 2011 to 2013. Denver earlier led the Army Corps of Engineers' National Contracting Organization, serving as principal contracting adviser to the chief of engineers. From 2003 to 2008, he was the principal assistant responsible for contracting at the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation. He holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Why does the role matter for KBR? KBR cited Denver's experience supporting the U.S. Antarctic Program in announcing the appointment. The company won a potential $8 billion contract from the National Science Foundation in June to support the program, covering logistics, infrastructure and scientific mission support across three year-round research stations. The 20-year, single-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract followed a full and open competition NSF launched in 2025. Its scope spans management and planning, laboratory services, vessel operations, IT and communications, infrastructure maintenance, and medical services.