Project Manager II

Element U.S. Space & Defense; Belcamp (MD); On-site; USD 88,000 - 104,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k with employer match

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Element U.S. Space & Defense is seeking a Project Manager to oversee active customer projects from initiation to completion. You will drive schedule, budget, and scope while coordinating with cross-functional teams and customers to ensure expectations are met.

Required are 3–6 years in testing or technical customer service with project management, and strong budgeting and scheduling skills. A BA/BS is preferred, with opportunities across our laboratory network and growth into advanced programs.

Qualifications

• AA degree required; BA/BS preferred or equivalent industry experience.
• 3–6 years testing or technical customer service experience with project management.
• Strong budgeting, scheduling, and stakeholder communication abilities.
• Experience coordinating complex projects across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects through their full lifecycle from initiation to completion.
• Ensure projects are on-time, within budget, and within scope.
• Engage with customers and coordinate with lab operations and department managers.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Scheduling

Customer service

Sales skills

Communication

Education

AA Degree

BA/BS preferred or equivalent industry experience

Tools

MS Office

ERP systems

MS Project

Job description

About Company

Element U.S. Space & Defense stands at the forefront of testing innovation, serving as a trusted partner to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, government agencies, and prominent industry leaders across the space and defense sectors. Founded as NTS Technical Systems, our company brings over 60 years of experience and expertise in handling the most complex projects and programs in the world. From centrifuge testing for the latest Mars rover, vibration testing for the Space Launch System (SLS), to environmental simulations for next-generation missiles, we are the pioneering partner for highly custom, end-to-end testing design and implementation. By advancing our state-of-the-art testing technologies, subject matter expertise, and service to critical missions, Element U.S. Space & Defense has become the go-to partner for ground-breaking industries.

What We Offer

Growth & Development

• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
• A collaborative and innovative work environment.
• The chance to work on groundbreaking projects that shape the future of space and defense.

Benefits

Employees are eligible to participate in the benefits offered throughout their availability, including the following:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts
• Seven (7) paid holidays and four (4) paid floating holidays, depending on your hire date
• Paid Time Off (PTO), accrued biweekly
• 401k with employer match
• Twelve (12) hours of Paid Volunteer Time Off (PVTO) each year
• Tuition reimbursement and other employee programs
• Flexible schedules offered at some of our labs
• Monthly Lab Bonus plans (Based on position)

Salary

At EUSSD, compensation is determined through a comprehensive approach that considers candidate qualifications, role responsibilities, market benchmarks, and organizational needs. Pay may vary by location; for this position, the annual base salary target range is $88,000 - $104,000, with potential eligibility for bonuses or commission depending on the role.

Job Summary

Manages a book of active, customer projects that may consist of short-term, transactional work, mid-term testing projects, and long-term, complex projects. Ensures projects are completed on-time, within budget, and within scope with the goal of compressing the project life cycle (from New to Complete as quickly as possible) and delivering the project to the customer expectations while minimizing the cost to complete the project. Provides the level of engagement as required by type of project and specific customer to ensure the customer's needs and expectations are met. Has a high focus on customer engagement and on creating a positive customer experience.

Job Responsibilities

Manages, plans, and controls individual projects through their entire NTS life cycle from new to completion.

Must move projects from initiation to closing as quickly as possible while keeping costs at or below quoted amount.

Takes complete ownership of projects within the assigned book of business. Ownership entails:

• Focusing on delivering business value to NTS and our customers,
• Fulfilling our commitments and customer needs,
• Understanding project success means ensuring the project is completed on-time, within budget and within scope,
• Responsible for ensuring project-related tasks are completed including outsourced, IJO, supplier-based tasks,
• Engaging and communicating immediately with stakeholders (ex: customer, DM, GM, etc.) regarding anything impacting project success,
• Holding other stakeholders (ex: Department Managers, technicians, etc.) accountable to deliver their portion of the project,
• Planning to meet project goals given any constraints,
• Ensuring scheduling meets customer needs and expectations,
• Coordinating the flow of work through the facility with Customers and Department Managers,
• Implementing corrective actions when projects become distressed,
• Consistently using the best practices of project management,
• Establishing collaborative and mutually supportive relationship with those responsible for operations,
• Striving to make operations successful.

Job Requirements

• Self-supervision of projects even with high PM volume and implementing corrective actions.
• May require supervision for solving complex problems.
• Ensures projects are completed on-time, within budget, and within scope.
• Monitors budgets weekly.
• Attempts to compress schedule to maximize NTS utilization including leveraging the full network of NTS facilities.
• Identifies and works to mitigate all suspected future budget overruns before the overrun is reached
• Manages projects to prevent downbooks.

Follows best practices and procedures in managing book of active projects.

Builds productive internal and external working relationships.

Exercises judgment within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate action.

Proactively manages planned and unplanned subcontracted work (i: i.e: IJOs and non-NTS subcontractors) including negotiating pricing, setting expectations with the subcontractor, and monitoring subcontractor progress.

Manages budgets to ensure accuracy of POC.

Processes all material receipts and balances budgets of all FP-POC and FP-T&M projects weekly.

Scope of work may be non-routine for the facility.

Typically FP-NTS or FP-POC jobs and FP-T&M.

Able to manage all forms of COS.

Able to identify the opportunity to upsell services via COS such as Expedite, Unique Test Services, Test Procedures, etc.

Typically, engages with the customer more as the complexity of the projects increase.

Strong knowledge of facility's core business (ex: Environmental testing, Dynamics testing, EMC testing, etc.).

Strong organizational and time management skills to manage projects.

Strong sales skills to address contract management.

Strong working knowledge of financial controls; quoting, pricing, and negotiation.

Advanced skills in prescribed internal tools for full scheduling, ERP, and MS Office skills.

Education And Experience

AA Degree; BA/BS preferred or equivalent industry experience.

3 - 6 years' testing or technical customer service experience. Project management experience required.