Project Manager

Randstad; Lower Hutt; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Randstad in Wellington seeks a pragmatic Project Manager with a hardware/engineering background to bring structure and discipline to delivery workflows.

You will build project controls, craft critical schedules, and drive DevOps-aligned tasks from raw manufacturing through to project completion, coordinating with scientists and engineers along the way.

Qualifications

• 4-8 years in project engineering, project controls, or project management.
• Strong experience in hardware, physical engineering, manufacturing, or R&D environments (not pure software).
• Proficient in project planning tools, expense tracking and structured process design.

Responsibilities

• Build work breakdown structures, schedules, and baselines using project planning software.
• Connect high-level project schedules into daily DevOps task priorities with meticulous documentation.
• Track technical expenditures, maintain cost baselines, and close financial feedback loops across active contracts.
• Coordinate optics projects from raw materials through stage-gate polishing and final release.
• Partner with scientists, technicians, engineers, and leaders to align progress with budget and scope.
• Occasional travel including onboarding visits with senior PMs in Australia and site installations.

Skills

Project planning

Hardware engineering

Cost tracking

DevOps familiarity

Documentation

Tools

MS Project

Jira

Job description

Our client is a global leader in designing, developing, and building advanced technology products and services for space and defense domains. Within their specialized optics division in Wellington, they focus on ultra-high-precision systems, managing the complete manufacturing lifecycle—from raw material processing to complex polishing, assembly and deployment.

They are looking for a pragmatic Project Manager with a background in physical hardware or engineering to bring structure, discipline and order to their delivery workflow.

This is a hands-on role where you will build project controls from the ground up. You will step in early in the process to build critical schedules, integrate tasks into a DevOps workflow, write standard operating documentation, and manage live projects right from the raw manufacturing stage through to completion.

Key Responsibilities

• Build work breakdown structures, schedules, and baselines using project planning software.
• Connect high-level project schedules into daily DevOps task priorities while maintaining meticulous documentation.
• Track technical expenditures, maintain cost baselines, and close financial feedback loops across active contracts.
• Coordinate complex optics projects from raw material/unmolded states through stage-gate polishing and final release.
• Partner closely with scientists, technicians, engineers, and business leaders to align technical progress with budget and scope.
• Occasional, focused travel—including onboarding visits with senior project managers in Australia and potential trips to site installations.

What Our Client Is Looking For

• 4-8 years in project engineering, project controls, or project management.
• Strong experience in hardware, physical engineering, manufacturing, or R&D environments (not pure software). Engineers wanting to pivot into project management are strongly encouraged to apply!
• Proficient in project planning tools, expense tracking and structured process design.
• Adaptable, highly organized, resilient, and motivated by establishing structure in a dynamic technical environment.

Why Apply?

• Build the foundational project management framework for advanced space and defense optical technologies.
• Work directly alongside highly experienced technical and commercial leaders.
• Excellent opportunity to refine your skills and own end-to-end delivery in a specialized, high-tech industry.

At Randstad, we are passionate about providing equal employment opportunities and embracing diversity to the benefit of all. We actively encourage applications from any background.