Customs Solutions Project Manager

Thorlabs; New Jersey; Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Thorlabs in Newton, NJ is seeking a skilled Program Manager to lead end-to-end execution of custom solutions projects. You will serve as the primary interface between internal and external stakeholders, ensuring technical, commercial, and schedule commitments are met.

Location is Newton, NJ, with occasional travel to other Thorlabs sites. The role requires a minimum of 5 years in a similar position, a Bachelor's in engineering/Optics or related field, and is.US-person eligible for ITAR products.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a similar and progressive position.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Optics, or related technical field.
• MBA or business strategy training preferred.
• Very good organizational/project management skills.
• Cross-functional leadership experience.
• Ability to travel up to 10% to conferences or other Thorlabs entities.

Responsibilities

• Lead full lifecycle customer programs.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, milestones, and resource allocation.
• Coordinate strategic project decisions (Resource allocation, supply chain, priorities).
• Coordinate between Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance and Legal.
• Work closely with sales team on commercial aspects of projects.
• Monitor schedule, scope, cost, and quality performance.
• Drive risk identification, mitigation planning, and contingency management.
• Manage engineering change requests and customer-driven scope changes.
• Support contract clarification and change management.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level status reports.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Prioritization

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/Optics or related field

Job description

At Thorlabs, we design and manufacture components, instruments, and systems that transform the world by identifying, enabling, and accelerating key photonics (i.e., light-based) technologies. Backed by a dedicated workforce of more than 3,000 employees worldwide, Thorlabscontributes to cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.

Whether you're early in your career or bringing years of experience, you’ll find opportunities to grow, take ownership, and make meaningful contributions from day one. We know every employee brings unique talents and perspectives that fuel our success, and we seek driven individuals who are excited to make an impact in a fun, fast-moving culture.

Responsible for leading end-to-end execution of custom solutions projects, from qualification through delivery, validation, and post-launch support. This role serves as the primary interface between both internal as well as external stakeholders, ensuring technical, commercial, and schedule commitments are achieved. Although the location of the position is in Newton, NJ, from time to time it may be required to undertake duties at other Thorlabs locations.

Essential Job Functions include the following, but are not limited to:

• Lead full lifecycle customer programs.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, milestones, and resource allocation.
• Coordinate strategic project decisions (Resource allocation, supply chain, priorities)
• Responsible for stakeholder management as well as coordination between Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance and Legal
• Work closely with sales team on commercial aspects of projects
• Monitor schedule, scope, cost, and quality performance.
• Drive risk identification, mitigation planning, and contingency management.
• Manage engineering change requests and customer-driven scope changes.
• Support contract clarification and change management
• Prepare and deliver executive-level status reports

Must be a US person to work with ITAR products

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a similar and progressive position.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Optics, or related technical field
• Further formal training in business strategy or MBA is preferred.

Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

• Very good organizational/project management skills and an ability to prioritize work within a team
• Identify, assess and mitigates or circumvent potential risks through a solution-oriented approach
• Demonstrated cross-functional leadership skills
• A high level of confidentiality, integrity, and credibility is required in all aspects of the role.
• May require travel to technical conferences or other Thorlabs entities (10% travel)

The estimated pay range for this role is $95,000 - $ 119,000 annually

Thorlabs values its diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identify or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Thorlabs offers a complete benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, a generous PTO package, a 401(k) plan, and tuition reimbursement just to name a few.