Senior Project Manager – SDR Development

Argotec; La Mirada (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive pay

Medical, dental, and vision plans

401(k) with match

Job summary

Argotec in California seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead aerospace hardware programs, including SDRs, coordinating systems, RF, hardware, FPGA, software, and test activities. You will drive schedules, cost, and quality for flight hardware and engage with NASA/JPL/ESA/JAXA as needed.

The role requires on-site work in California with up to 25% travel to customer sites, suppliers, and test facilities to support program execution and milestones.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing complex engineering development programs.
• Experience with hardware and embedded systems.
• U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency is required.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering or related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and execute integrated program schedules with critical path analysis.
• Manage program execution per contractual requirements, aligning scope, schedule, and cost.
• Coordinate with contracting/legal teams and interface with customers, subcontractors, and suppliers.
• Own project cost, schedule, and technical performance and approve changes within authority.
• Serve as primary customer interface for program execution and reviews.
• Identify, track, and mitigate technical, schedule, and programmatic risks.
• Coordinate cross-functional SDR development across RF, FPGA, software, and hardware.
• Support formal program reviews and customer milestones.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

MS Project

Excel

Jira

Job description

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Senior Project Manager in our California team, reporting to the US VP of Strategy and Product Development, you will be responsible for managing the program execution for the delivery of spaceflight telecom hardware including software-defined radios (SDRs) to internal and external customers.
You will manage a multidisciplinary engineering team, ensuring alignment to technical, schedule, cost, and quality objectives throughout the full project lifecycle.
You will work closely with systems, RF, hardware, FPGA, software, manufacturing, and quality teams to coordinate development activities, track progress, and ensure successful delivery of flight and test hardware.
This position typically manages 1-2 concurrent flight hardware development programs, depending on scope and complexity.

This role requires regular on-site engagement and the availability to travel up to 25% to customer sites, suppliers, and internal or external test facilities, as required to support program execution, reviews, testing and delivery milestones.

Specific duties include (but are not limited to):

• Develop, maintain, and execute integrated program schedules, including critical path analysis, milestone definition, and alignment to key program reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR);
• Manage program execution in accordance with contractual requirements, ensuring alignment of technical scope, schedule, cost, and deliverables;
• Coordinate with internal contracting/legal teams (including HQ in Italy) and interface with customers, subcontractors, and vendors on contractual matters, including SOW interpretation, deliverables (SDRL/DRDs), and change requests;
• Own project cost, schedule, and technical performance, including baseline management and approval of changes within delegated authority;
• Serve as the primary customer interface for program execution, including status reporting, issue resolution, milestone coordination, and engagement with domestic and international customers (e.g., NASA, JPL, ESA, JAXA);
• Support proposal, contract modification, and change management activities, including evaluation of technical, schedule, and cost impacts and coordination of implementation across stakeholders;
• Develop and maintain WBS-aligned integrated schedules with clear dependencies, critical path tracking, and alignment across internal teams and suppliers;
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering activities across SDR development, including RF, FPGA, embedded software, and hardware integration, ensuring alignment to system requirements and delivery objectives;
• Operate in a development environment that blends commercial rapid iteration (short development cycles, iterative build-test) with aerospace-grade rigor (formal reviews, documentation, configuration control, and qualification);
• Identify, track, and mitigate technical, schedule, and programmatic risks in coordination with engineering and leadership;
• Manage customer deliverables, including hardware, firmware/software releases, and documentation packages, ensuring compliance with contractual and mission requirements;
• Coordinate and support formal program reviews and customer interactions, including preparation of review materials, action item tracking, and closure;
• Ensure compliance with configuration management, documentation control, and quality processes consistent with aerospace and high-reliability hardware development;
• Coordinate with manufacturing, integration, and test (AIT) teams to support hardware builds, environmental testing (e.g., TVAC, vibration, EMI/EMC), and delivery readiness;
• Execute responsibilities independently while maintaining alignment with technical leadership, organizational priorities, and customer commitments;
• Escalate technical, schedule, and resource issues to leadership proactively and manage recovery plans;

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or related technical fields;
• At least 5+ years of experience managing complex engineering development programs, preferably involving hardware and embedded systems;
• U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency is required;

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

• Team player and a "Do what it takes" attitude;
• Experience managing projects involving RF systems, communications hardware, software-defined radios (SDR), or similar multidisciplinary systems;
• Experience managing engineering programs under contractual frameworks, including SOW interpretation, scope alignment, deliverables tracking, and coordination of contract changes;
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage integrated schedules aligned with engineering milestones and formal design reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR);
• Experience coordinating cross-functional engineering teams (systems, RF, FPGA, software, hardware, manufacturing) in a fast-paced development environment;
• Experience managing technical, schedule, and programmatic risks, including mitigation planning and tracking to closure;
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• Experience managing customer deliverables, including hardware, firmware/software, and documentation packages;
• Strong understanding of engineering development lifecycles in aerospace or high-reliability environments, including design, integration, verification, configuration management, and documentation control;
• Familiarity with spaceflight hardware qualification and acceptance processes, including environmental test campaigns (e.g., TVAC, vibration, EMI/EMC) and parts screening/qualification workflows;
• Strong communication skills, including ability to work effectively with international customers, partners, suppliers, and non-native English speakers across cultural and organizational boundaries;
• Strong organizational and execution skills, including ability to manage multiple priorities, resolve conflicts, and maintain schedule discipline;
• Proficiency with project management and tracking tools (e.g., MS Project, Excel, Jira, or similar);
• Ability to work independently with ownership and accountability in a dynamic, fast-paced commercial space environment;
• PMP certification or equivalent project management certification will be considered ad a plus;
• Familiarity with Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
• Experience in spaceflight or aerospace programs involving flight hardware development and delivery;
• Experience working with institutional customers (e.g., NASA, JPL, ESA, JAXA) or equivalent international space agencies;
• Experience interfacing with contracting, legal, or procurement organizations, including support of international contracts and coordination with global headquarters;
• Familiarity with space system development standards and processes (e.g., NASA 7120.x, ECSS);
• Experience managing development and delivery of communication systems, SDRs, or RF payloads;
• Experience supporting formal aerospace program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and customer milestone gates;
• Familiarity with AIT (Assembly, Integration, and Test) processes for space hardware, including environmental test campaigns;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and adaptability in complex, multidisciplinary engineering programs;

PREFERRED SKILLS

• PMP certification or equivalent project management certification will be considered ad a plus;
• Familiarity with Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
• Experience in spaceflight or aerospace programs involving flight hardware development and delivery;
• Experience working with institutional customers (e.g., NASA, JPL, ESA, JAXA) or equivalent international space agencies;
• Experience interfacing with contracting, legal, or procurement organizations, including support of international contracts and coordination with global headquarters;
• Familiarity with space system development standards and processes (e.g., NASA 7120.x, ECSS);
• Experience managing development and delivery of communication systems, SDRs, or RF payloads;
• Experience supporting formal aerospace program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and customer milestone gates;
• Familiarity with AIT (Assembly, Integration, and Test) processes for space hardware, including environmental test campaigns;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and adaptability in complex, multidisciplinary engineering programs;

ARGOTEC OFFERS

• Annual incentive pay is based upon performance and commensurate with the level of the position.
• Generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 100% match up to 8%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.

To conform to U.S. Government international trade regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, this announcement is aimed at both sexes, under laws 903/77 and 125/91, and to people of all ages and all nationalities, under legislative decrees 215/03 and 216/03. Argotec is committed to fostering an inclusive, accepting, and diverse environment free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.