Project Manager II - Communications

OTTO Engineering, Inc.; Carpentersville (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k) Match

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Holidays

Vacation

Profit Sharing

Job summary

OTTO Engineering, Inc. seeks a Project Manager II to oversee product development from concept to production, coordinating across EE, ME, FW, SW, sourcing, manufacturing, and partners.

You will set deadlines, monitor teams, and report status to upper management while translating business needs into actionable tasks. The role requires 3+ years in project management and hands-on engineering experience, with proficiency in Microsoft Project or equivalents.

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering (ME, EE, SW, General) or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 3 years of Project Management experience.
• Previous hands-on engineering experience – concept through production.
• Microsoft Project (or equivalent) experience.
• Strong people skills – negotiate and collaborate without direct reporting authority.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop product requirements, project schedules, and milestones to meet customer expectations.
• Coordinate engineering disciplines, sourcing, manufacturing, and suppliers to achieve goals.
• Set deadlines, assign responsibilities, monitor progress, and report status to management.
• Maintain and update NRE hours, tooling costs, part costs, and test costs.
• Manage BOMs and engineering change notices; ensure proper documentation.

Skills

Project management

Hands-on engineering

Education

BS in Engineering (ME, EE, SW, General) or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Project

Job description

• At OTTO, we don’t just manufacture products—we engineer mission-critical solutions with precision and pride. Our Communications Division designs and manufactures ruggedized, application-specific communication systems built to perform when failure isn’t an option, serving the military, law enforcement, public safety, and industrial customers worldwide.
• As a core value, we focus on delivering for our customers through innovative technology, superior quality, value, and responsiveness … as a result, our growth continues!
• Employees are our greatest asset, which is why we share our company’s profits to celebrate our collective success.
• As a privately-owned company, we are proud to invest significantly in our community and in our own growth, focusing on long-term business success.
• We are proudly American!

Specifically, we are seeking experience with …

• Project management - 3 years
• Previous hands-on engineering experience – concept through production
• Microsoft Project (or equivalent)

Our Project Manager II manages all the aspects of product development activities, from concept to production. Responsibilities include coordinating the activities between the engineering disciplines (EE, ME, FW, SW), sourcing, manufacturing, production, and in some cases suppliers, customers, and partners to achieve project goals in a timely fashion. Set deadlines, assign responsibilities, and monitor team members. Prepare reports for the upper management regarding the status of a project. Must have the ability to translate big‑picture business needs into plans for detailed-oriented tasks. Strong, proactive management and people skills to encourage collaboration and keep projects on track, yet know when escalation to management is necessary.

The Project Manager II will:

• Work with the project teams to develop product requirements, project schedules, and milestones that meet or exceed customer expectations
• Experience launching projects in a production facility
• Coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the flawless execution of projects
• Apply modern project management tools and techniques to keep a project on schedule and within budget
• Ability to address root cause issues using problem‑solving skills and execute contingency planning with the project team to keep schedules on track
• Making effective decisions when presented with multiple options
• Depending on project size, the Project Manager may be required to be part of the project team – engineering, analysis, etc
• Maintain and regularly update NRE hours, tooling costs, part costs, and test costs
• Manage BOMs, engineering change notices, and all project‑related documents
• Runs weekly project meetings to keep a cross‑functional team informed and on task
• Present monthly project reviews to senior management – schedule, costs, issues
• Adhere to OTTO’s phase‑gate process and ensure phase requirements are completed and properly documented
• Assist with other duties as required or assigned

About you - What you’ll bring to the table:

• BS in Engineering (ME, EE, SW, General) or equivalent experience
• Minimum 3 years of Project Management experience
• Good people skills – able to negotiate and achieve results without direct reporting authority
• Problem‑solving, multitasking, and planning skills
• Previous hands‑on engineering experience – concept through production
• Microsoft Project (or equivalent) experience
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment
• Strong oral, written, and follow up communications skills

What OTTO offers for this specific position:

The hiring range listed in this posting is what we, in good faith, anticipate relying on when confirming a base salary for this position; exceptions may be considered for highly experienced candidates with multiple years of at‑level experience.

• Target base salary hiring range: $80,000 to $100,000, based on qualifications and experience.
• Profit Sharing Bonus - OTTO believes that it’s fair to share the profits that the employees help to make; profit sharing is distributed to employees twice a year. OTTO’s profit sharing plan is paid at the discretion of the company and is not a guaranteed bonus or any part of a compensation plan.
• Vacation: 80 hours - vacation time is earned on the anniversary date.

Health:

Medical Insurance-

• HMO Plan
• Standard PPO Plan
• Enhanced PPO Plan
• High Deducible PPO Plan
• FSA, LFSA, and HSA
• Base Plan
• Buy‑Up Plan

Vision Insurance

401(k) with a company match

Life insurance:

• Life/AD&D
• Voluntary Life/AD&D
• Short‑Term Disability
• Long‑Term Disability

10 paid holidays

Holiday party

AND numerous OTTO celebrations throughout the year!

OTTO Engineering is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Disability/Veteran

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