Project / Program Manager, Custom Build-to-Order Manufacturing + Nationwide Delivery (Path to O[...]

Pave Talent; Vista (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Pave Talent is seeking a project manager for a custom design-and-manufacturing company in Vista, California. In this role, you will drive projects through design handoff to on-time delivery, coordinating production and ensuring accuracy across teams.

The ideal candidate has 3 to 6 years of project management experience, with a background in custom manufacturing or construction. Strong communication skills and proficiency in ClickUp and spreadsheet automation are essential for success in this fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 3 to 6 years of project or program management experience.
• Background in custom retail fixture manufacturing or construction.
• Experience coordinating construction schedules for multiple sites.

Responsibilities

• Drive projects from design handoff through on-time delivery.
• Coordinate production and accuracy of orders.
• Manage delivery timelines and documents across various teams.

Skills

Project management experience

Critical thinking

Communication skills

Proficiency in ClickUp

Bilingual (Spanish)

Tools

Excel automation

Google Sheets

Job description

Company Overview

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of a founder‑led custom design‑and‑manufacturing company that builds made‑to‑order fixtures and store environments and ships them to national retail brands. Profitable, debt‑free, and growing every year for over a decade, the company runs lean (roughly 30 people) and moves fast.

Responsibilities

• Drive projects from design handoff through engineering, production, and on‑time delivery to stores nationwide.
• Coordinate production at the company’s own facility; products ship direct to stores with no second quality check, so accuracy is everything.
• Own pick tickets, bills of materials (BOMs), and delivery timelines across design, the shop floor, the warehouse, and production.
• Field demanding general contractor (GC) calls calmly, without matching a hostile tempo; most issues turn out to be nothing.
• Run all operations in ClickUp plus automated Excel and Google Sheets; interest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Claude helps fix workflow bugs on the fly.

Qualifications

• 3 to 6 years of project or program management experience; emphasis on critical thinking over titles.
• Track record at a small, agile company where many hats were worn and problems were solved independently.
• Genuinely custom, build‑to‑order background: retail fixture or display manufacturer, or custom construction such as custom homes or hotels where each job differs.
• Strong communication skills for demanding clients and internal teams; calm under pressure.
• Proficiency in ClickUp, heavy spreadsheet automation, and interest in AI tools.
• Spanish bilingualism (helps with the production team and supports future growth).
• Experience with multi‑site delivery or construction‑schedule coordination.

Benefits and Growth

You report to the Director of Operations, alongside two peer project managers (one design, one production). You own the lifecycle after design handoff, managing 2 to 5 clients and 2 to 5 projects at a time. Year one is roughly 60% delivering a multi‑year rollout for a household‑name retail brand, 20% new projects, and 20% process improvement. A project coordinator joins under you once you know the business, and the founder is stepping back from day‑to‑day operations, so there is real runway toward an operations leadership seat.