Senior Hardware Project Manager

Senior Hardware Project Manager

On-site; Lafayette, Indiana

Salary: $140-175k

Position Summary:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead complex, full-cycle product development initiatives from concept through commercialization. This role is ideal for a seasoned professional with deep familiarity in RD&E processes, cross-functional coordination, and technical product delivery. This role will work closely with engineering, product management, operations, and external partners to ensure projects are executed on time, within budget, and to specification.

Responsibilities:

•Own and manage the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from early requirements through product launch.

•Clearly report project statuses and risk(s) to key stakeholders throughout project lifecycles.

•Collaborate closely with engineering teams to translate technical developments into actionable project timelines and milestones.

•Develop, maintain, and communicate detailed project schedules that account for dependencies, risks, and resource constraints.

• Manage resource allocation across internal teams, contractors, and external partners to maintain

project velocity and balance workloads.

• Oversee and track ODC (Other Direct Costs) and Capital expenditures, ensuring alignment

with budget expectations and financial targets.

• Coordinate certification and compliance activities, including CE, CSA, FCC licensing, shock

and vibration testing, environmental tests, and third-party validations.

• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks, leveraging data and team input to proactively keep

deliverables on track.

• Partner with the Product Management team during pre-launch and launch phases to ensure

readiness across documentation, training, operations, and market rollout.

• Facilitate cross-functional communication, ensuring transparency, alignment, and timely

decision-making.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• 8 years of project management experience, with a strong focus on product development and

R&D environments.

Knowledge of:

• Project management methodologies and frameworks (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, hybrid approaches) and how to apply them appropriately across different development stages.

• Engineering resource planning, including workload balancing, capacity forecasting, and

coordinating efforts across multidisciplinary teams.

• Best practices for vendor, contractor, and third-party coordination, including scoping work,

managing deliverables, and overseeing outsourced testing or certification efforts.

• Technical development workflows common in R&D environments, including design reviews,

prototype builds, verification/validation cycles, and production transfer.

• Budget ownership principles, including ODC tracking, capital planning, and understanding cost

drivers in technical product development.

• Risk identification and mitigation strategies tailored to engineering programs, including dependency mapping and contingency planning.

Skilled at:

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-disciplinary engineering projects from concept to launch.

• Experience developing schedules, forecasting resources, and managing technical and financial

project components.

• Understanding of product certification processes (e.g., CE, FCC, CSA), environmental and durability testing, and third-party compliance testing.

• Ability to clearly report-out and articulate critical project information to stakeholders, ensuring the stakeholders clearly understand any impact, as to not delay appropriate decision-making processes.

• Strong communication, leadership, and organizational skills.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related discipline.

• PMP certification or equivalent advanced project management credential.

• Experience in electrical/electronic systems, instrumentation, or other regulated technical product

industries.