Engineering Project Manager

The Electro-Optics and Electronics (EOE) Division of the Materials, Manufacturing, and Sustainment Office (MMSO) at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State University is seeking a highly motivated and self-starting Engineering Project Manager to support a broad range of projects encompassing multiple technical disciplines and scopes. Our mission is to transition new electro-optics technologies and applications to Navy-selected focus platforms.

Since 1999, the Electro-Optics Center has proudly served as the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Manufacturing Technology Center of Excellence for Electro-Optics.

• Financial tracking and reporting:
  Develop and manage technical and financial status reports, as well as technical data package documentation for internal and external stakeholders; set priorities and recommend changes as needed; assist with detailed labor and cost tracking, including mid-month and end-of-project financial updates, and generate custom reports for external presentations

• Reporting and compliance:
  Assemble and submit regular reporting materials in accordance with sponsor guidelines, including quarterly reports, quad charts, trip reports, and project plan templates; analyze program costs, schedules, and milestones to assess risk and manage changes to program deliverables; this includes regular reporting to ARL project leadership and external collaborators, including government sponsors, and requires the application of independent thinking and advanced problem-solving skills

• Track and manage project deliverables:
  Develop and maintain deliverable tracking charts/schedules, ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines and timely updates

• Vendor and supply chain management:
  Coordinate vendor activities, including SOWs, RFQs, POs, and delivery schedules, ensuring alignment with project timelines and requirements

• Meeting facilitation:
  Organize and facilitate project meetings, including agenda creation, meeting minutes, and follow-up actions

• Stakeholder engagement:
  Serve as a primary point of contact for Principal Investigators (PIs) and external stakeholders, assisting with day-to-day requests and ensuring deliverables are met on time

• Utilize project management strategies for implementing project requirements; collaborate with investigators to develop, execute, and update the project plan; monitor and facilitate technical project execution, milestones, and deliverables

• Facilitate communication between sponsors, investigators, resource managers, project engineers, and technical tradesmen; manage and track project schedule, resources, deliverables, and milestones; monitor technical project execution to ensure timely and quality deliverables

• Manage stakeholder project and product needs; coordinate with investigators to manage and adhere to sponsor requirements

• Facilitate task/project budgets, work breakdowns, rough order estimates, task prioritization, and integration plans with investigators and program managers; coordinate with investigators and financial teams to create project budget baseline; establish and update the project budget

• Provide relevant project data including cost and hours input to financial teams to create estimates; review project costs on a regular basis to ensure accuracy in preparation for project close out

• Collaborate with financial and property inventory teams to review fabrication costs; ensure correct classification, work breakdowns, and coding in preparation for project close out

• Microsoft Office applications including Microsoft Project and Visio

• Fundamental project management concepts and their application to real-world projects

• Financial tracking and reporting, including labor planning and cost analysis

• Government contracts, including contract types, funding appropriations, and reporting requirements

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

• Success in an office environment where strong communication and organizational skills are essential for effectiveness

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

• FFRDC, UARC, or other government laboratories

• Managing vendor relationships and supply chain activities

• Extensive experience with government contracts, including contract types, funding

• For higher level positions: requires the application of independent thinking and advanced problem-solving skills

• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher, and willingness to undergo a government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility, if required

This is a hybrid on-site/work from home, project-dependent ability for hybrid work located in Freeport, PA. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

If filled as Engineering Project Adviser (ARL) - Senior…