Engineering Project Manager

Vaco Recruiter Services; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco Recruiter Services is seeking an Engineering Project Manager to lead customer-facing projects from initiation to completion, ensuring alignment with requirements, schedules, budgets, and business objectives. You will be the main contact for customers and internal stakeholders across engineering, operations, procurement, and manufacturing to drive delivery.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, customer-focused, and able to manage multiple projects with clear communication to both

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, or related field.
• 3+ years in project management or coordination roles.
• Experience managing schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
• Experience with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Background in technical, product, or manufacturing projects preferred.
• PM software, ERP, CRM experience a plus; PMI/CAPM helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects through full lifecycle from initiation to delivery and acceptance.
• Act as primary contact for customers on status, timelines, and issues.
• Coordinate work across engineering, operations, procurement, quality, and manufacturing.
• Develop and maintain schedules, milestones, logs, and documentation.
• Monitor progress and proactively identify risks and schedule impacts.
• Lead project meetings and communicate priorities and updates to stakeholders.
• Coordinate design reviews, testing, implementation, and production readiness.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal teams on material availability and timelines.
• Manage scope and assess impact of change requests on schedules and resources.
• Ensure accurate project documentation and support closeout and invoicing.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Customer communication

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Scheduling

Analytical thinking

MS Office/PM tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business

Tools

ERP systems

CRM platforms

Project management software

MS Excel

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.

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