Senior Technical Project Manager at Launchpad.build
Pasadena, CA 91101
About the Job
About Launchpad
At Launchpad, we specialize in AI-powered automation that transforms product assembly in America. We build self-programming robots (Digitools) that optimize manufacturing systems, improving efficiency and solving critical labor shortages.
We are seeking a Senior Technical Project Manager with multi-disciplinary systems engineering experience (mechanical, electronics, software, and embedded/firmware) to lead our complex technical projects. In this role, you’ll drive the organization and execution of projects from scoping and planning to successful delivery.
Key Responsibilities:
- Project Leadership:
- Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams (mechanical, electronics, software, and embedded/firmware) and senior leadership to define project scope, technical requirements, and timelines. You won’t need deep domain expertise in each area, but familiarity with each discipline is critical for managing and guiding the team.
- Project Planning & Organization:
- Develop detailed project plans, including Gantt charts and timelines, ensuring the team is organized and focused on the right work. Track project progress and adjust plans as necessary to ensure timely delivery.
- Risk Management:
- Work closely with your team to identify technical risks early in the project life cycle, leveraging experiments and trials to de-risk critical areas. Your understanding of multi-disciplinary systems will help create and prioritize effective mitigation paths.
- Problem Solving & Roadblocks:
- Lead the effort to troubleshoot and resolve problems as they arise. Assist the technical team in understanding challenges, but when necessary, escalate complex issues to the CTO or other senior leaders, ensuring a plan is agreed on quickly.
- Customer Engagement:
- Act as the point of contact for the customer, regularly updating them on project progress and ensuring that expectations are aligned. Maintain effective communication between internal teams and customers, clearly conveying technical progress and challenges.
- Proven Track Record:
- 7-10 years of experience in a Project Manager or Technical Lead role, managing complex multi-disciplinary systems—ideally involving a combination of mechanical components, electronics, software (including embedded software/firmware).
- Systems Engineering Experience:
- Familiarity with multi-disciplinary product engineering — you don’t need to be a deep expert in any individual area, but you must be able to coordinate across these fields, understanding enough to manage and direct the project effectively.
- Technical Project Management Expertise:
- Experience developing project plans, managing timelines, and holding teams accountable across diverse technical disciplines. Knowledge of project management tools like Microsoft Project, JIRA, or similar.
- Risk Mitigation Knowledge:
- Ability to identify and mitigate risks upfront by leading experiments, trials, and POCs to de-risk complex systems.
- Excellent Communication Skills:
- Comfortable working in a customer-facing capacity, providing regular project updates, and ensuring communication lines stay clear and consistent. Able to communicate complex technical issues and solutions clearly to different stakeholders.
Join Us:
At Launchpad, you’ll work at the cutting edge of automation technology applied to real-world manufacturing systems. If you have a passion for managing technically complex projects spanning multiple disciplines and enjoy bridging the gap between technical execution and successful project delivery, we’d love to hear from you!