Technical Project Manager (Efector Development)

Destinus; Zürich; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus is seeking a Technical Project Manager to own execution across the full vehicle development stack, from propulsion to avionics integration and qualification. You will manage a programme, shape the PM structure with team leads, and drive delivery while engineers focus on depth.

You will coordinate multi-disciplinary teams, track progress, manage risks, and ensure milestones are met across propulsion, structures, avionics, and GSE.

Qualifications

• Hardware-focused development experience in aerospace/defense.
• 2+ years in project coordination or technical lead roles.
• Experience managing cross-disciplinary programmes across engineering domains.
• Strong ability to build and maintain programme schedules and manage risk.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end execution of vehicle-level and subsystem product development programmes from kick-off through hardware build, test campaigns, qualification, and delivery.
• Build and maintain programme plans spanning propulsion, structures, avionics, systems engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and regulatory dependencies; identify and resolve critical path risks early.
• Run programme reviews and cross-functional coordination meetings; keep decisions documented and actions closed.
• Work closely with engineering leads across disciplines to track technical progress and translate it into clear programme status.
• Coordinate system integration activities – ensuring interfaces between subsystems are managed and milestones owned.
• Manage external dependencies: supplier lead times, test facility scheduling, regulatory submissions, and customer milestones.
• Proactively flag scope creep, resource conflicts, and schedule risk to leadership with options.
• Contribute to building the PM structure, tools, and ways of working for the department alongside team leads and fellow TPMs.

Skills

Systems thinking

Planning skills

English communication

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in aerospace or related engineering

Job description

As Destinus scales its vehicle programmes, we are looking for a dedicated Technical Project Manager to own execution across the full vehicle development stack – from propulsion and structures through avionics integration, ground support equipment, and qualification. This frees our engineers to focus on technical depth and our team leads on strategic leadership.

As one of the first hires in this group, you will manage a programme and help build the PM structure itself alongside team leads and fellow TPMs. You own execution – schedule, cross-disciplinary coordination, risk, and delivery. The engineers run the technical depth; you run the programme.

What You’ll Do

• Own end-to-end execution of vehicle-level and subsystem product development programmes – from kick-off through hardware build, test campaigns, qualification, and delivery
• Build and maintain programme plans spanning propulsion, structures, avionics, systems engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and regulatory dependencies; identify and resolve critical path risks early
• Run programme reviews and cross-functional coordination meetings; keep decisions documented and actions closed
• Work closely with engineering leads across disciplines to track technical progress and translate it into clear programme status
• Coordinate system integration activities – ensuring interfaces between subsystems (propulsion, structures, avionics, GSE) are managed, dependencies tracked, and integration milestones owned
• Manage external dependencies: supplier lead times, test facility scheduling, regulatory submissions, and customer milestones
• Proactively flag scope creep, resource conflicts, and schedule risk to leadership – with options, not just problems
• Contribute to building the PM structure, tools, and ways of working for the department alongside team leads and fellow TPMs

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems, or a related engineering discipline

• 5–8 years in a hardware-heavy development environment; at least 2 in a project management, programme coordination, or technical lead role – career PMs without hardware exposure will not be considered
• Background in aerospace, defence, or a similarly regulated hardware domain; familiarity with vehicle-level or system-level development and qualification cycles is essential
• Experience managing cross-disciplinary programmes spanning multiple engineering domains (structures, propulsion, avionics, or similar) is a strong advantage
• Able to manage multiple concurrent projects across engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and testing
• Strong systems thinking – able to see the full picture, spot where the hard problems are likely to sit, and know when to dive into detail without losing the overall programme
• Strong planning skills – able to build a programme schedule from scratch, identify critical path, and keep it current
• Comfortable building structure in an ambiguous environment; pragmatic over bureaucratic
• Clear, direct communicator in English; German is an advantage