Engineering Project Manager

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGER

Columbia River Gorge, WA (onsite)

$170-200k

Direct Hire

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About the Role

Youll run the engineering schedule for unmanned aircraft hardware, from the first proposal to the day a product goes into production. This is a project manager job for someone who came up as an engineer and has taken hardware through design, drawing release, prototypes and production launch themselves. Youll keep several project teams moving at once, set their weekly goals and clear the obstacles in their way so the engineers can stay on the work. Youll also help shape how project management works here, including its process and tools. There are two openings on this team.

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What Youll Do

• Build and own the master engineering schedule and the risks and issues register across projects of every size.
• Turn team input into a work breakdown structure and fill in the steps that are missing.
• Track milestones, dependencies, critical path, float, resource loading and cost.
• Make sure every project accounts for BOMs, drawing release, configuration control, part lead times, inspection, build trials, kitting and verification testing.
• Run short weekly check-ins with each team and keep big group meetings to a minimum.
• Write the weekly status briefs and review materials, and keep the project backlog prioritized.
• Pitch in on hands-on technical work and engineering change paperwork when nobody else owns it.
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Required Skills

• Bachelors in mechanical, electrical, aerospace or industrial engineering, or a similar field.
• 10+ years combined in product development engineering and engineering project management.
• 5+ years as a hardware product development engineer who took products from design and drawings through choosing suppliers, testing prototypes and launching production.
• 5+ years managing several engineering projects and teams at once across the full development cycle.
• Experience building integrated schedules in MS Project or a similar tool, including critical path, dependencies, resource loading, cost and risk.
• Working knowledge of unmanned aircraft and their subsystems.
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Preferred Skills

• Hands-on use of PDM and ERP tools.
• Managing or supporting airborne software projects under DO-178.
• Running engineering changes and configuration control on complex hardware.
• Time on aerospace programs where mechanical, electrical and software pieces come together.
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Schedule and Work Environment

This role is on-site full-time in the Columbia River Gorge area of Washington, with the chance to move to a hybrid schedule after the first 2-3 months if performance and the business allow. Youll work alongside design, manufacturing and test teams every day. You must meet ITAR U.S. person requirements. A drug test and pre-employment screening are required. Benefits include medical, dental and vision with a fully company-paid option, a company HSA contribution, a 401k with a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 5%, company-paid life and disability coverage, and paid parental leave.

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Skip the wait

Book 15 minutes with me and Ill walk you through whether this is worth your time. Book a quick call

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Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Bingen, WA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $143000.00 - $229000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

• Financial Rewards: Competitive base salary, incentive compensation which may include profit sharing schemes, retirement savings plan and the ability to participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) - Work/Life Balance: Paid time off including personal time, holidays and a generous paid parental leave program. - Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical (traditional and high-deductible health plans), prescription, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) and other supplemental benefit coverages.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Bingen, WA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 16, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Bingen,WA.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.