Head of Delivery Excellence

Building better and safer isn’t a slogan, but the way we show up in the world.

THE ROLE

We’re looking for a hands-on and forward-thinking Head of Delivery Excellence to help us evolve how Critical Software delivers complex, mission-critical projects at scale.

This is not a traditional PMO role. You’ll be shaping the systems, tools, and practices that enable our teams to deliver with speed, predictability, and quality across multiple markets and geographies. From improving how we plan and execute, to bringing AI into the core of project delivery, your focus will be simple: make it easier for our teams to deliver great complex, mission-critical work, consistently.

Critical Software operates across various business verticals and geographies, including Portugal, Germany, UK and the US. We have built a solid reputation for delivering highly reliable solutions supporting our customers in verticals such as aerospace, transportation, energy, medical and finance. Our customers include NASA, ESA, Airbus, Alstom, and BMW just to mention a few.

You’ll work closely with the COO and leadership teams across markets, acting as a catalyst for better execution, not by adding process, but by simplifying, enabling, and scaling what works.

Note: This position is open to applications from different cities in Portugal, and is a single role to be filled with global impact.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Design and evolve how we deliver projects across the company - from planning and execution to risk management and forecasting
• Focus on clarity, simplicity, and real-world usability, avoiding unnecessary complexity
• Drive the adoption of modern tools and platforms that improve visibility, coordination, and decision-making
• Explore and implement AI to support planning, forecasting, risk detection, and operational insights
• Help teams deliver more consistently by improving how we measure, track, and act on delivery performance
• Turn data into insight, and insight into action
• Support the development of project managers and technical leaders, helping them strengthen ownership, leadership, and execution capabilities.
• Build a strong internal community focused on continuous improvement
• Partner with delivery teams across markets to understand what works and what doesn’t, and scale best practices without imposing heavy processes.

HOW YOU CAN INSPIRE

• You make hard calls quickly and with autonomy, taking decisions at your level rather than pushing every one upward, and you own what follows
• You focus effort where it actually matters and step away from the opportunities that are not right for Critical, rather than chasing every deal
• You see AI as the biggest shift of this generation and you act on it. You reshape how delivery itself works with AI, you do not just adopt the tools, and you raise the bar for everyone around you
• You communicate with clarity and honesty, without ambiguity
• You bring urgency and positive energy in equal measure.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 10+ years of Experience in delivery, operations, or program leadership roles in dynamic environments (e.g., scale-ups, engineering-driven companies, or high-performance delivery organisations)
• Track record of improving how teams deliver, by not just defining processes, but making them work in practice
• Background in software, engineering, or complex project environments
• Pragmatic and hands-on - you care more about what works than what looks good on paper
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and driving change across teams without formal authority
• Strong bias for simplicity, speed, and impact
• Experience with modern delivery tools and data-driven environments
• Curiosity and practical interest in applying AI to real operational problems
• Ability to influence and coach teams and leaders across the organisation
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative, low-ego approach.

WHAT WE OFFER

We invest in the people who make it all possible. Here's what that looks like in practice.

• Private health insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme (mental health, legal, financial support)
• Home office support
• Extra holidays: 2 additional days after year one, more as time goes on
• Extra parental leave: 2 additional months fully paid
• Gradual return-to-work support: We’ll help you ease back from long breaks
• Sabbatical programme for long-term employees
• Training, mentorship, and growth opportunities: we'll invest in where you want to go next

ABOUT CRITICAL SOFTWARE

Every day we work on missions across industries as diverse as aerospace, space, defence, transport, telecoms, government, energy, finance, and healthcare. Building better and safer isn’t a slogan. It’s how we show up in the world.

Critical Software is proud to be a Benefit Corporation. A Benefit Corporation differs from a standard corporation (C-Corporation): It is a for-profit business entity, legally defined in the US and other jurisdictions, whose legally defined goals include the positive impact on society, workers, the community and the environment, in addition to profit.

We are an equal opportunity workplace and committed to allow candidates with disabilities or neurodevelopmental conditions to prove their competencies to their full potential. We are willing to move the barriers that may prevent you from demonstrating that you are the right candidate for this role, so please let us know if you need some adjustment in your recruitment process.

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