Technical Project Manager (Efector Development)

Destinus; Zürich; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Destinus is seeking a Technical Project Manager to own execution across the full vehicle development stack, from propulsion and structures to avionics integration and qualification. You will manage a programme and help build the PM structure with team leads and other TPMs, balancing technical depth with programme mastery.

You will coordinate cross-disciplinary plans, manage dependencies, and drive reviews, ensuring progress is tracked and decisions/actions are closed.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years in hardware-heavy development environment; at least 2 in a project management, programme coordination, or technical lead role
• 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

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 (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

Skills

Project management

Cross-disciplinary coordination

Systems thinking

Planning skills

Technical leadership

English communication

German (advantage)

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems 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