Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or business, or equivalent experience.
5+ years managing technical research and development projects.
10+ years managing multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects (preferred).
Technical background in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or aerospace engineering (preferred).
Experience in transitioning materials or technologies from lab to manufacturing (preferred).
Responsibilities
Own cost, schedule, scope, and margin for each project from kickoff through closeout.
Turn research goals into actionable plans, including work breakdown and schedules.
Collaborate with scientists and engineers to set realistic milestones and make project decisions.
Manage the transition from lab to production, coordinating scale-up and testing.
Track project spending and forecast outcomes accurately.
Deliver technical reports and manage milestone reviews and deadlines.
Proactively maintain customer relationships and communicate project status.
Benefits
Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits.
Matching 401(k) plan.
Professional development reimbursement.
Opportunity for equity for most full-time positions.
Full Job Description
Project Manager
El SEGUNDO, CA | FULL-TIME Onsite/Remote
THE ROLE
Your projects are yours; from first concept and funding through delivery and closeout. You're accountable for each project's execution, cost, schedule, scope, and margin. You'll work daily with all core functions of the company - chemists, materials engineers, executives, sales, and finance, and you'll be the main point of contact for the customer.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Own cost, schedule, scope, and margin for each project from kickoff through closeout.
Turn research goals into action plans: work breakdown, schedules, resourcing, and spend plans that hold up when experiments drift or fail.
Work with scientists and engineers to scope technical tasks, set realistic milestones, and decide when to push forward, change direction, or stop.
Manage the path from lab to production: coordinate scale-up, process development, testing, and handoff to our manufacturing teams.
Track spend and forecast where each project will land.
Own deliverables: technical reports, milestone reviews, test data packages, and the deadlines tied to them.
Proactively manage customer relationships.
Brief status, risks, and decisions candidly and cross-functionally.
Write full proposal packages and statements of work to win funding government and commercial sources.
Manage outside test labs, suppliers, and consultants: scope, purchase orders, schedule, change orders, and quality of work.
Keep cost tracking and project records accurate and audit-ready.
Capture lessons learned are incorporated into future program planning and execution.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or business, or equivalent experience.
5+ years managing technical research and development projects.
Preferred Skills and Experience
10+ years managing research, development, and testing programs, including multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects.
Technical background in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, or aerospace engineering.
Experience taking a new material or technology from lab scale to manufacturing.
A record of writing proposals that won, then running those projects.
Experience managing Government projects or Contracts.
Experience in a dynamic, fast paced manufacturing environment.
Master of Business Administration or Project Management Professional certification.
Advanced skills in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel); experience with reporting and visualization tools.
You'll Do Well Here If
You're comfortable planning work where the answer isn't known yet.
You give executives and customers bad news early, with a recovery plan attached.
You can dig into test data with a chemist in the morning and rebuild a budget forecast in the afternoon.
You're comfortable on a lean team and will build some of the tools and templates you use.
You lean on AI to enhance and expand your capabilities, not as a crutch.
Additional Requirements
Full-time on-site at our headquarters in El Segundo.
BENEFITS: Cambium offers a highly competitive compensation and benefits plan. This includes excellent medical/dental/vision benefits, and a matching 401(k) plan, professional development reimbursement, and an opportunity for equity for most full-time positions
