Engineering Project Manager

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

Location: Must live in Huntsville, AL area (or be willing to relocate) 

Onsite Requirements: Onsite

Travel: Quarterly travel required

Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the U.S. 

**Sponsorship is not available at this time** 

Exemption Status: Exempt

As a Project Manager, you will:

• Work closely with all stakeholders across the organization to define project objectives, scope, deliverables, and timelines. Develop and document detailed project plans, including tasks, milestones, and resource allocation.
• Lead and coordinate all project activities, ensuring adherence to project schedules and budget constraints. Monitor project progress, identify and mitigate risks, and resolve any issues that may arise during the development process.
• Schedule and track all activities for the hardware, firmware, and machine learning engineering groups, primarily through the use of Jira.  Develop task processes and procedures to ensure work is being accurately captured.  Lead weekly, monthly, quarterly planning meetings to ensure activities stay on track and make adjustments as necessary.
• Foster a collaborative and productive work environment by effectively communicating project requirements, goals, and expectations to team members. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and ensure alignment among different teams. Lead cross-functional meetings to disseminate engineering team updates along with gathering questions and concerns from other stakeholders.
• Identify resource needs and allocate them appropriately to ensure optimal utilization of team members' skills and expertise. Manage external vendors, contractors, and suppliers as necessary to support project requirements.
• Implement and maintain quality control processes to ensure the highest level of product quality and reliability. Coordinate with the quality assurance team to conduct testing, verification, and validation activities. Document any anomalies into workable actions to be assigned to the engineering team for resolve.
• Identify potential risks and develop risk mitigation strategies. Proactively monitor project risks and implement appropriate measures to minimize their impact on project timelines and deliverables.
• Provide regular project updates to stakeholders, including executives, clients, and other relevant parties. Address any concerns or inquiries promptly and ensure effective communication channels are established and maintained.
• Identify and document opportunities for process improvement and optimization. Implement best practices and lessons learned from previous projects to enhance project delivery efficiency and effectiveness.

Qualifications & Requirements:

To qualify, you should have excellent communication skills, be a superb leader, have proven problem-solving skills and:

Required

• Minimum of 2 years of project management experience in hardware and software/firmware development, preferably within the technology or consumer electronics industry.
• Solid understanding of hardware development processes, firmware development lifecycle, and associated tools and methodologies. Familiarity with relevant programming languages and firmware platforms is a plus.
• Proven ability to successfully manage complex projects from initiation to completion. Strong organizational, planning, and time management skills are essential.
• Use of Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) to plan and manage complex projects, specifically in the hardware and/or firmware/software space. Experience as a Jira administrator is preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams. Must be comfortable leading multiple engineers with varying levels of experience to ensure successful project outcomes. Experience in leading teams in an Agile or Scrum like environment is advantageous, as work is ever changing.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively. Ability to effectively lead and present meetings for a large group of stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to addressing project challenges. Ability to make timely decisions and adapt to changing project requirements.
• Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality results. Strong commitment to meeting project deadlines and deliverables.

Desired

• Bachelor's degree in any related field. 
• Advanced certifications in project management (such as PMP).

Culture Fit Requirements:

• High intellect and strong analytical skills
• Innovative and driven to constantly improve
• Ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution
• Non-bureaucratic, flexible, and able to thrive in a fast-moving environment
• Positive energy and attitude towards people and problem-solving 

Why Waites? 

At Waites, we offer an attractive base salary with a strong history of profit sharing. We are intensely customer-focused, with a culture that encourages hard work, fun, and mutual success. As we continue to grow, there will be many opportunities for professional advancement and development. 

If you are a talented project management professional looking for an exciting new challenge, please apply with your resume to [email protected]. 

Please note that we do not require assistance from third-party staffing agencies or recruitment firms at this time.

WST is an Equal Opportunity Employer.