Aerospace Manufacturing Project Manager
Location: Rockford, IL. 61109
Job Type and Duration: Permanent
At our Company, we meet the needs of our customers by providing custom solutions in the mechanical actuation and rotating components areas. We do this with quality products that are focused primarily in the military and defense, aerospace, and space industries. We meet the needs of our associates by providing a fun and friendly working environment such that our associates want to come to work every day. Suppliers provide quality products, and many times are part of our customer focused teams.
OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

In general, this position is highly energetic requiring significant multi-tasking and exceptional communication skills across all aspects of the business. The Project Manager is responsible for the project planning and execution throughout the product lifecycle, including gathering and prioritizing project and customer requirements, defining the project vision, and working closely with engineering, sales, operations, as well as assembly and test and other support areas to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. The Project Managers job includes ensuring that the project supports the companys overall strategy and goals. Below is a list of the Project Managers responsibilities.

The Project Manager will:

• Be collaboratively and cooperatively engaged with Design, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, our Partners, and our customers
• Be honest and have highest integrity and be an empowered project leader within the company
• Be able to manage in both good and difficult situations with many projects running concurrently in varied phases including bid and proposal
• Be customer focused which is a critical part of our company
• Be schedule driven and have a powerful drive toward successfully accomplishing tasks and jobs on time and in budget, while maintaining a positive and collaborative working relationship with all areas inside and outside the company
• Be able to earn the respect of the organization and customers and positively motivate/drive groups toward end objectives.

This role includes both new product development and sustaining project management activities. This role is driven by contracted customer demand for vehicle specific product development, qualification, certification, production, and aftermarket support.

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
The Project Manager is the conduit of the customers contract and specification requirements to the design team. A thorough up-front review and verification that all technical and contractual requirements are properly communicated to the design group and periodic reviews ensuring compliance to the requirements is required. This is an integral part of our gated process. Typical projects require timely and accurate reporting to the customer on design status, submission of analysis reports, percent complete on design and others which are communicated by the Project Manager.

Nearly all projects have design reviews with the customer present. The Project Manager will take a leadership role regarding coordination, completion, preparation, assignment, and presentation of these meetings. Developing the actual presentation materials from assigned support people and putting a cohesive presentation together. The Project Manager typically facilitates these design reviews (Proposal, Kick-off Meetings, SRR, PDR, CDR, TIMs, TRR, PRR, ETC.) with various disciplines providing support and presenting their materials.

PRODUCTION AND SUBCONTRACTORS
The Project Manager will need to:

• Collaborate with the Operations Group to assure the customers contract and statement of work requirements are properly incorporated into existing procedures
• Schedule and participate in activities such as internal design reviews, Production Readiness Reviews, Testing, Qualification, Planning and Coordination of customer visits if needed
• In the use of a major subcontractor for a portion of the design, the person in this role will interact with that company in a similar fashion as to the internal design and production team
• Will flow down contract requirements and specifications and verifying compliance in design reviews.

These relationships are critical to project success and typically the major subcontractor is known to Ingeniums customer and participates in design reviews with the Company, presenting their own material.

CUSTOMERS
The Project Manager is one of the key faces to the customer from the proposal phase through delivery of the first qualified flight unit.

• The Project Manager will track and assure timely execution on all contract deliverables generated internally and by our major subcontractors
• The Project Manager should be a people person and thriving in the responsibility of being the face of the Company to our most important clients
• Will be an important internal resource and may be called upon for special internal projects as well (Capital Equipment, Acquisition, Research and Development, and Subcontractor Development are a few recent examples)
• Travel will be required to meet with customers

SALES AND MARKETING
The Project Manager will:

• Work interactively with Sales and Marketing to complete proposals, secure new business, negotiate contracts, and grow our internal revenue streams, product offerings and profit
• Will be expected to have a high degree of knowledge and expertise in our industry and detailed understanding about our competitive landscape
• Strive to grow sales within existing accounts and focus on upselling during application execution

GENERAL
The ideal candidate will:

• Be a Project Management expert with both analytical and intuitive skills that can delve deeper into all aspects of a project, work with customers, suppliers, and technical staff
• Formulate and execute specific plans and strategies while understanding the implications of those strategies on schedule and the bottom line
• Require crisp focus and excellent multi-disciplined communication skills

OTHER SPECIFIC DUTIES

• Cooperatively and collaboratively align multi-discipline teams which include engineering, sales, manufacturing, suppliers, and customers
• Be responsible for the full product cycle for each product application
• The candidate must also be ready to support internal projects including capital equipment, research and development projects and integration of new product lines
• All other duties as assigned by manager

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• B.S. in Engineering, or non-technical degree with equivalent experience
• Demonstrated leadership skills by example, mentoring and running multifaceted teams
• Demonstrated success interacting with Sales, Engineering, Product Development and Contracts
• Exceptional problem solving and organizational skills
• Excellent written and oral communications skills
• The ability to read drawings and an understanding of multi-level BOMs
• Be extremely versatile and able to multi-task due to military, aerospace, and space companies that operate in a low-volume, high-mix environments.
• U.S. Citizen, no dual citizenship allowed

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS

• Project Management or equivalent experience of 7 years in aerospace-based projects
• Detailed understanding of the requirements of AS9100
• Deep understanding of ITAR and Import/Export Compliance
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Project, Project Planning and Estimate to Complete
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Knowledge and experience in cross-cultural/international sales
• Extensive skills in Microsoft PowerPoint, Visio, and Excel

ESPO Corporation

View all open jobs at
Leaders in Technical Recruiting & Staffing since 1965
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value the benefits of diversity in our workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, or any other attribute or protected characteristic by law. If you need assistance applying please contact us directly.