Technical Project Manager – Laser System

Responsibilities • Drive execution of projects within your scope through informed technical decision making and bias to action.

• Plan, schedule, and track project progress for Laser Element systems and sub-systems using Jira, Flow, and other program planning tools, in coordination with the Project Controls & Planning.

• Monitor engineering release, requirements (Flow), and design-review efforts to assess progress toward Laser Element milestones, identify risks, and escalate issues to the Laser Element Lead and Program Management as needed.

• Manage project documentation, including project plans, architecture/requirements review packages, meeting minutes, and action items, ensuring clear communication and record-keeping across optics, pulsed power, and laser controls sub-teams.

• Coordinate activities and staffing resource allocation across laser engineering, laser science, optics, pulsed power, procurement, and manufacturing teams, facilitating issue resolution and ensuring smooth execution of Laser Element design loops, builds, and test campaigns.

• Assist in tracking element cost and accounting as well as develop execution spend plans.

Qualifications • Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering management, construction management, business management, engineering, physics, or a related field .

• Experience: 5+ years in project engineering, project coordination, project planning and controls, administration, or a similar role supporting laser, optical, pulsed-power, or other complex hardware development in an engineering, national-lab, aerospace, defense, or manufacturing environment.

• Problem-solving mindset with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing technical and schedule challenges across laser sub-systems.

• Demonstrated ability with build and sequencing of critical path schedules.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across engineering, scientific and indirect support teams.

• Strong technical acumen with an understanding of laser/optical or high-energy hardware development processes (e.g., design reviews, requirements flow-down, engineering change requests) and product lifecycles.

• Experience managing and tracking Bills of Materials (BOMs) for complex hardware systems.

• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Desired • Experience with complex integrated laser, optical, or pulsed-power hardware projects, ideally in nuclear fusion, high-energy density physics, directed energy, or aerospace.

• Working familiarity with the design, assembly, integration, and test of laser systems.

• Proficiency in AI enabled workflows and data presentation.

• Familiarity with Agile & Waterfall project management methodologies.

• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Flow, and other requirements/program management tools.

• Experience with procurement, vendor management, or contract administration for long-lead optics, lasers, or pulsed-power components.

• Strong analytical skills with experience in program planning tools such as Primavera P6.