Project Manager

Randstad New Zealand; Lower Hutt; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Randstad New Zealand is seeking a pragmatic Project Manager for a global leader in space and defense optics. You will shape the delivery workflow, build project controls from scratch, and drive schedules from raw materials through to final release in a hands-on role.

You will collaborate with scientists, technicians, engineers, and business leaders to ensure alignment with budget and scope, with occasional travel to Australia and on-site deployments as required.

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). Engineers wanting to pivot into project management are 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.

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.

Skills

Project management

Hardware engineering

Manufacturing

DevOps

Scheduling

Education

Secondary School/High School

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.

SkillsProject Manager

Qualifications

• Relevant experience

education Secondary School/High School