Engineering Project Manager

Vaco; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco in California seeks an experienced Engineering Project Manager to lead customer-facing projects from kickoff to delivery, ensuring alignment with requirements, timelines, and budgets. You will coordinate across engineering, operations, procurement, and other internal teams, driving successful outcomes and customer satisfaction.

The role requires strong organizational skills, proactive risk management, and excellent communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Project Management, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in project management, project coordination, implementation, operations, engineering, manufacturing, or a related environment.
• Experience managing project schedules, timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
• Experience working directly with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Background supporting technical, engineering, product development, manufacturing, implementation, or operational projects.
• Experience utilizing project management software, ERP systems, CRM platforms, or related business tools.
• PMP, CAPM, or other project management certifications are beneficial but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects throughout the full project lifecycle, from initial handoff through final delivery and customer acceptance.
• Serve as the primary contact for customers regarding project status, timelines, deliverables, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate activities across engineering, operations, procurement, quality, manufacturing, logistics, and other internal teams.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, milestones, action-item logs, and project documentation.
• Monitor project progress and proactively identify risks, roadblocks, and schedule impacts.
• Facilitate project meetings and communicate updates, priorities, and risks to key stakeholders.
• Coordinate design reviews, testing efforts, implementation activities, and production readiness milestones.
• Work closely with suppliers and internal teams to support material availability and project timelines.
• Manage project scope and evaluate the impact of change requests on schedules, resources, and deliverables.
• Ensure project documentation is accurate, complete, and maintained throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support project closeout activities, including final documentation, customer acceptance, and invoicing support.
• Identify opportunities to improve project execution processes and overall operational efficiency.

Skills

Project planning

Organization

Execution

Communication

Stakeholder management

Customer service

Technical interpretation

Scheduling

Problem solving

Office tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Project Management, or related field

Tools

Project management software

ERP systems

CRM platforms

Job description

Position Summary

The Engineering Project Manager is responsible for leading customer-facing projects from initiation through completion while ensuring alignment with project requirements, schedules, budgets, and business objectives. This individual will serve as the primary point of contact for customers and internal stakeholders, coordinating efforts across multiple teams to drive successful project execution.

The ideal candidate will be highly organized, customer-focused, and capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining strong communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead projects throughout the full project lifecycle, from initial handoff through final delivery and customer acceptance.
• Serve as the primary contact for customers regarding project status, timelines, deliverables, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate activities across engineering, operations, procurement, quality, manufacturing, logistics, and other internal teams.
• Develop and maintain project schedules, milestones, action-item logs, and project documentation.
• Monitor project progress and proactively identify risks, roadblocks, and schedule impacts.
• Facilitate project meetings and communicate updates, priorities, and risks to key stakeholders.
• Coordinate design reviews, testing efforts, implementation activities, and production readiness milestones.
• Work closely with suppliers and internal teams to support material availability and project timelines.
• Manage project scope and evaluate the impact of change requests on schedules, resources, and deliverables.
• Ensure project documentation is accurate, complete, and maintained throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support project closeout activities, including final documentation, customer acceptance, and invoicing support.
• Identify opportunities to improve project execution processes and overall operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Project Management, or a related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in project management, project coordination, implementation, operations, engineering, manufacturing, or a related environment.
• Experience managing project schedules, timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
• Experience working directly with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Background supporting technical, engineering, product development, manufacturing, implementation, or operational projects preferred.
• Experience utilizing project management software, ERP systems, CRM platforms, or related business tools is a plus.
• PMP, CAPM, or other project management certifications are beneficial but not required.

Required Skills

• Strong project planning, organization, and execution skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to interpret technical information and work effectively with engineering and operational teams.
• Experience tracking project schedules, milestones, deliverables, and action items.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and project tracking tools.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments.
• High attention to detail and commitment to delivering quality results.

Work Environment

• Primarily office-based with regular interaction across technical, operational, and production-focused teams.
• Frequent use of computers, business systems, and project management software.
• Occasional visits to warehouse, manufacturing, engineering, or operations areas.
• May require periodic travel for customer meetings, project reviews, or site visits.
• Flexibility to support project deadlines and customer needs when necessary.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Opportunity to own customer-facing projects from kickoff through delivery.
• High level of interaction with customers, technical teams, and business stakeholders.
• Exposure to a wide variety of projects and cross-functional initiatives.
• Ability to make a visible impact on project outcomes and customer satisfaction.
• Strong opportunity for professional growth within a project-focused role.

EEO Notice

Vaco by Highspring is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by federal, state or local law.

Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail].

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. You also agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

For residents of Ontario, Canada: Based on Highspring's discussions with its Client, Highspring's understanding is that this position for employment is a current vacancy (either through Highspring as a contractor or with the client directly).

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

• the individual's skill sets, experience and training;
• licensure and certification requirements;
• office location and other geographic considerations;
• other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses.