Engineering Program Manager

Executive Recruiting Group; Westminster (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Executive Recruiting Group is seeking an Engineering Program Manager in Westminster, MD to lead contract budgets and schedules while maintaining strong customer relationships.

The role emphasizes cross‑functional collaboration across contracts, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain to meet cost and schedule targets. Strong leadership, problem‑solving, and communication are essential for success in this defense/aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• 3-5 years in project engineering; defense/aerospace preferred.
• CAPM or PMP certification a plus.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provides input to develop technical project plans, scope, milestones, payment plans, and budget.
• Collaborates with departments to allocate resources to meet invoices, schedule and budget.
• Coordinates with subcontractors and suppliers to ensure timely delivery and conformance to specs.
• Supports audits and inspections; ensures documentation and compliance for the program.
• Communicates project status and risks through reviews with internal teams and clients.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Relationship building

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

CAPM or PMP certification

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

The Engineering Program Manager is responsible for managing contract budgets and schedules while building and maintaining positive customer relationships.

Duties:

Project Planning and Execution:

• Provides input to the Business Development team to develop technical project plans, and define scope, milestones, payment plans, and budget.
• Participates in technical design and development activities to determine any effects to schedule and cost.
• Collaborate with other departments to allocate resources to meet invoices, schedule and budget requirements.
• Correspond with supply chain to ensure materials meet contractual cost and schedule requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Works closely with contracts, engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and test teams to ensure smooth project execution.
• Coordinates with subcontractors and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of components and materials meeting project specifications.
• Participates in regular project reviews, both internally and with clients, providing updates on contract progress and challenges.
• Oversees engineering team to develop, review and finalize technical data packages.

Documentation and Compliance:

• Monitors and tracks program documentation, including customer mandated requirements and internal specifications, ex: drawings, test procedures, and reports.
• Ensures contract activities and products meet scope requirements established by the program.
• Supports audits and inspections, addressing all compliance concerns related to program activities.

Testing and Validation:

• Collaborates with other departments to ensure project deliverables meet performance and quality standards.
• Works with quality assurance and testing teams to identify areas of improvement and implement necessary changes.

5. Risk Management and Continuous Improvement:

• Identifies project risks and develops and implements mitigation strategies.
• Contributes to process improvements that includes communicating lessons learned to all team members aimed at improving future project efficiency and effectiveness.

Communication:

• Builds and maintains positive customer relationships through professional communication, responsiveness, and proactive issue resolution
• Serves as the primary communication interface among internal cross- functional teams, subcontractors, and customers to ensure clear, timely, and consistent project execution.
• Prepares, coordinates, and delivers project status briefings and reviews using PowerPoint presentations for internal leadership and customer audiences.
• Lead the development of integrated project presentations by collecting inputs from engineering, operations, finance, quality, and other functional teams; ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency of content.
• Actively track and follow up with contributing departments to ensure assigned presentation sections, data, and metrics are completed on schedule.
• Facilitate regular meetings, reviews, and discussions with internal teams, subcontractors, and customers to align expectations and resolve issues.
• Ensure clear documentation and communication of action items, decisions, and next steps resulting from meetings and presentations.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or related field)
• 3-5 years in project engineering within the defense or aerospace industry is a plus.
• Certifications: CAPM or PMP a plus.
• Strong leadership skills
• Ability to create and sustain strong relationships with team and customers
• Strong problem-solving skills and technical knowledge across engineering disciplines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project) is a plus.
• Experience within the defense industry