Project Lead (Engineering Manager)

Cipher Recruitment; Adelaide; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Cipher Recruitment is partnering with a growing business to hire a Project Lead with a strong engineering or product development background. You will drive the development, integration, and manufacturing of an IoT platform.

You will own projects from concept through production, leading 3–4 specialists across electronics, firmware, mechanical engineering and manufacturing, while aligning requirements, timelines, budgets and long-term product goals.

Qualifications

• Engineering background in electronics, embedded systems, firmware, hardware, or mechanical engineering.
• Proven experience leading engineering projects, product development initiatives or multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Solid understanding of embedded systems, hardware–firmware integration, and product development lifecycle.
• Experience managing project timelines, budgets, technical risks and competing priorities.
• Familiarity with systems engineering concepts, including requirements definition, architecture and verification and validation.

Responsibilities

• Scope, plan and manage engineering projects for internal and external customers from concept through development, testing and manufacturing.
• Coordinate a team of 3–4 professionals across electronics, firmware, mechanical engineering and manufacturing.
• Oversee hardware and firmware development to ensure embedded systems meet product requirements.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, resources, milestones and technical risks while keeping stakeholders informed.
• Apply systems engineering principles to support robust product development and long-term product objectives.
• Consider the big picture and ensure technical decisions support the product strategy and future manufacturing.
• Identify opportunities to improve development processes and product quality from engineering development to manufacturing.

Skills

Electronics engineering

Embedded systems

Firmware

Hardware engineering

Mechanical engineering

Project leadership

Product development

Systems engineering

Tools

PCB design

C/C++

Job description

HOT JOB ALERT | Project Lead – Electronics / Embedded Systems / Systems Engineer / Mechanical / IoT (Engineer)

Adelaide CBD | Hybrid (3–4 days in the office)

Location: Adelaide CBD. Candidates already based in Adelaide or willing to relocate will be considered.

Permanent | Full-time

Are you a Project Lead/Project Manager/Product Manager with a background in Engineering (Electronics / Embedded Systems / Systems Engineer / Mechanical / IoT (Engineer)) & ready to lead projects, influence product direction and bring innovative technology to life?

Cipher Recruitment is partnering with a growing business seeking a Project Lead with a strong engineering or product development background to drive the development, integration and manufacturing of its IoT platform.

This is an opportunity to take ownership of projects from concept through to production, bringing together engineering specialists to deliver successful products. You'll combine technical understanding with project leadership, ensuring teams remain aligned on requirements, timelines, budgets and long-term product objectives.

What you'll be responsible for

• Project Leadership: Scope, plan and manage engineering projects for internal and external customers, from initial concept through development, testing and manufacturing.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate a team of approximately 3–4 professionals across electronics, firmware, mechanical engineering and manufacturing.
• Technical Integration: Oversee hardware and firmware development, ensuring embedded systems work together effectively and meet product requirements.
• Planning & Delivery: Manage project schedules, budgets, resources, milestones and technical risks while keeping stakeholders informed of progress.
• Systems Engineering: Apply an understanding of requirements, system architecture, verification and validation to support robust product development.
• Product Strategy: Consider the bigger picture, anticipate challenges, manage dependencies and ensure technical decisions support the product's long-term success.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve development processes, product quality and the transition from engineering development to manufacturing.

What we're looking for

• An engineering background in electronics, embedded systems, firmware, hardware, mechanical engineering or manufacturing.
• Proven experience leading engineering projects, product development initiatives or multidisciplinary technical teams.
• A solid understanding of embedded systems, hardware–firmware integration and the product development lifecycle.
• Experience managing project timelines, budgets, technical risks and competing priorities.
• Familiarity with systems engineering concepts, including requirements definition, architecture and verification and validation.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to bring technical specialists together and guide decision-making.
• A proactive, commercially aware mindset, with the ability to move beyond individual technical tasks and take ownership of overall project outcomes.

Experience that will set you apart

• IoT product development, sensors, wireless communications and low-power devices.
• Microcontrollers, PCB design, firmware development and debugging tools.
• C/C++ and embedded software concepts.
• Manufacturing processes and product industrialisation.
• DFMEA/PFMEA and risk-based product design.
• Experience transitioning products from development into production.

Who is the ideal candidate?

We're particularly interested in someone who started their career as an Electronics Engineer, Embedded Engineer, Firmware Engineer, Hardware Engineer or Mechanical Engineer and has progressed into project leadership, project management, technical management or product management.

You don't need to coding or designing hardware every day. Instead, you need enough technical depth to understand the challenges engineers face, ask the right questions, challenge assumptions and guide the team towards the right outcomes.

This is NOT a traditional Project Manager role. We're looking for an engineering-minded leader who understands how products are developed, thinks strategically, manages multiple workstreams and takes responsibility for the bigger picture — from technical feasibility through to manufacturing and delivery.