Project Manager

Mesodyne; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health, dental, vision

PTO

Job summary

Mesodyne is seeking a hands-on Project Manager to lead schedules, milestones, and cross-functional coordination as we move the Mesodyne LightCell toward a shipped product.

You will own plans from design through production, partner with R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and quality, and ensure deadlines are met with clear accountability. This role reports to program leadership and requires vigilance across scope, risk, and vendor performance.

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years managing complex projects or programs, ideally NPI at a startup.
• Experience coordinating across R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and quality.
• Comfort managing vendor relationships, purchase orders, and procurement processes.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with cost and schedule discipline.
• Comfort making calls with incomplete information.

Responsibilities

• Drive the product end‑to‑end from concept through production and delivery.
• Own project plans spanning design iteration, testing, assembly ramp, and vendor onboarding.
• Track milestones, flag risks early, and ensure accountability across teams.
• Coordinate across R&D, engineering, quality, supply chain, and shop floor.
• Build program tracking, scheduling, and documentation for leadership visibility.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional coordination

Vendor management

Communication

Cost & schedule control

Decision making with incomplete info

Education

BS in Engineering or related field

Tools

Airtable

Asana

Jira

MS Project

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

THE ROLE

Mesodyne is taking the Mesodyne LightCell from concept and prototype toward a mature, deliverable product, and we need someone to keep every moving piece of that journey on track. As Project Manager, you'll own the schedules, milestones, and cross-functional coordination that turn our program roadmap into a shipped product — working across R&D, engineering, manufacturing, vendor partners, and quality to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

This is a hands‑on program management role for someone who's comfortable driving structure and rigor across the full lifecycle of a complex hardware product — from design and testing through production and delivery. You'll report into program leadership and work closely with our CEO, CTO, CGO, Engineering Team, and Production Team.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Drive the product end to end

Own project plans spanning design iteration, testing and validation, assembly ramp‑up, process improvements, and new vendor onboarding. Track milestones across every phase, flag risks early, and keep timelines realistic and honest and most importantly make sure teams are accountable to their results.

Coordinate across teams and ensure accountability

Be the connective tissue between R&D, engineering, quality, supply chain, and the shop floor. Make sure design changes, testing results, vendor issues, and production constraints don't surprise anyone. You are the person that knows what everyone is working on and ensures they stay focused. Make sure deadlines are met or if not met, reasons are documented and communicated

Own supply chain management and vendor timelines

Track deliverables from fabrication, brazing, coatings, and electronics vendors. Escalate delays before they become crises. Keep a clear picture of who owes what, by when.

Build the systems that keep the program organized

Stand up program tracking, scheduling, and visual management tools appropriate for our stage. Keep documentation current so anyone — from engineering to leadership — can see program status at a glance.

Support quality and delivery across the lifecycle

Help enforce quality checkpoints throughout design, testing, assembly, and production. Track corrective actions to closure. Keep an eye on how program decisions affect delivery timelines and cost.

Report up and out

Give leadership a clear, honest read on where the program stands — on schedule, at risk, or off track — and what it'll take to fix it.

WHAT YOU BRING

Must-haves

• BS in Engineering, or a related field, with relevant experience
• 3+ years managing complex projects or programs, ideally new product introduction (NPI) at a startup
• A proven track record running cross‑functional projects end to end — from planning through delivery
• Experience coordinating across R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and quality functions
• Comfort managing vendor relationships, purchase orders, and procurement processes in a fast‑moving environment
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with a track record of managing cost and schedule without sacrificing quality
• Comfort making calls with incomplete information

Nice‑to‑haves

• Startup experience (20–200 people)
• PMP, or similar project/program management certification
• Experience in advanced batteries, aerospace, optics, photonics, semiconductor, or other precision or specialty hardware programs
• Knowledge of any of the following: brazing, welding, high temperature materials, advanced ceramics, optomechanical systems, optical coatings, vacuum systems, semiconductors, microfabrication, and semiconductor packaging
• Experience with project/program management tools (e.g. Airtable, Asana, Jira, MS Project) or ERP/MRP systems
• Familiarity with supplier quality management and performance metrics

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Competitive base salary, commensurate with experience
• Equity
• Health, dental, vision
• PTO