Project Manager

Webbtree; Navi Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Webbtree is seeking an experienced Project Manager to own UAV product development programs end-to-end from approval to series release. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, manage milestones, and drive V&V and certification activities to ensure on-time delivery and quality.

You will baseline schedules in Zoho Projects, lead design reviews (PDR, DDR, CDR), and communicate status to management while mitigating risks and keeping stakeholders aligned across multiple concurrent projects.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of total experience in complex engineering product development projects.
• 6+ years leading end-to-end UAV/aerospace or electro-mechanical programs.
• Experience with stage-gate/milestone lifecycle and certifications (DGCA or equivalent).
• Strong scheduling, risk management, and change control proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated project plan, baseline in Zoho Projects, and milestone roadmap.
• Lead the project kick-off with Product Manager and System Engineer; translate MRD/PRD and SRS inputs into delivery plans.
• Drive the build sequence and design reviews to milestone plan (PDR, DDR, CDR).
• Plan and control V&V test campaigns, certification plan integration, and customer readiness.
• Manage RAID log, governance cadence, and weekly/monthly status reporting.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder coordination

Risk management

Scheduling & CPM

Vendor coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

Zoho Projects

MS Project

Jira

Job description

Role Overview:

The Project Manager (PjM) takes independent, end-to-end ownership of UAV product development projects – new products, variants, features or technology demonstrators – from M0 (Project approval and kick-off) through M5 (series release / SOP) under the Product development framework. Accountable for delivery to agreed Quality, Cost and Timeline (QCT), the role plans and controls the project, integrates cross-functional teams, drives prototypes, V&V, type certification and customer trials / demonstrations, and escalates risks and decisions early. The role typically manages concurrent projects.

Key Responsibilities:

1. End-to-End Project Planning & Milestone Delivery:

• Own the integrated project plan - WBS, schedule, M0-M5 milestone roadmap, Project Organisation Plan (POP) and RASI matrix - and baseline it in Zoho Projects at kick-off.
• Lead the project kick-off with the Product Manager and System Engineer; translate MRD / PRD and SRS inputs into delivery plans, sprint objectives and time targets agreed with all functions.
• Drive the build sequence (Pre-Mule, Mule, Prototype, Pilot Series, Golden Sample) and design reviews (PDR, DDR, CDR, Final Design Review) to the milestone plan.
• Prepare and present milestone / stage-gate reviews covering QCT status, deliverable readiness, Chances & Risks and Traffic Light (GYR) assessment for go-ahead decisions.

2. V&V, Certification & Customer Readiness:

• Plan and control V&V test campaigns, Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI), flight trials and customer demonstrations; ensure issues are registered, owned and closed before progression.
• Integrate the certification plan into the project critical path - DGCA Type Certification, and Blue UAS / FCC compliance where applicable - and track submissions, observations and closures.
• Ensure compliance with AS9100 QMS and iFPDP milestone deliverables, including controlled design releases (DCM - ECRM) and project documentation.
• Support industrialization, pilot production and early series ramp-up with Operations until formal handover.

3. Scope, Cost, Resource & Change Control:

• Manage project budget and spend (BoM cost, material, prototype, test and certification costs) against the approved baseline with Finance; forecast and report variances.
• Plan resource loading with Function Heads; identify capacity conflicts early and escape with options.
• Run formal change control for scope and target changes (TCR, ECR/ECN), assessing QCT, certification and delivery impact before approval.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain on long-lead items, sourcing strategy and vendor deliverables affecting the critical path.

4. Risk, Governance & Reporting:

• Own the project RAID log; identify technical, TRL, supply-chain, certification and schedule risks early with mitigation plans and owners.
• Run the project review cadence (daily standup, weekly sprint review, monthly sprint planning) and keep Zoho Projects the single source of truth for schedule, actions and decisions.
• Publish weekly / monthly status reports and dashboards (milestone OTD, SPI / CPI, critical path, blockers) and elevate decisions to PAC / management through the defined governance path.
• Act as the single point of contact for project communication, decisions and approvals with internal stakeholders, customers and vendors.

5. Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead the cross-functional project team without direct line authority; guide Assistant Project Managers and Project Coordinators.
• Conduct sprint retrospectives and project-closure lessons learnt; contribute to PMO standards, templates and checklists.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Milestone on-time delivery (OTD) against the approved baseline.
• QCT adherence at each milestone gate (budget, quality and timeline).
• V&V, certification and customer trial / demonstration milestones achieved as planned.
• Currency and quality of RAID, schedule and decision data in Zoho.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electronics, Electrical, Mechatronics or related discipline); a Master's degree or PG in Project / Operations Management is an advantage.
• 8 to 12 years of total experience, including 6+ years managing end-to-end engineering product development projects – UAV, aerospace, defence, automotive or complex electro-mechanical systems preferred.
• Demonstrated delivery through a stage-gate / milestone lifecycle including prototype builds, V&V and design releases; hands-on experience with regulatory type certification (DGCA or equivalent) is strongly preferred.
• Strong command of scheduling, CPM, Earned Value Management (SPI / CPI), risk management and change control; proficient in Zoho Projects, MS Project or Jira.
• Working knowledge of AS9100 / ISO 9001 QMS, DFMEA / PFMEA and configuration / change management (ECR/ECN).
• PMP, PRINCE2 or Agile (CSM / PMI-ACP) certification is preferred.
• Willingness to travel to flight-test, trial and customer sites as required.