Job Title: Associate Product Manager
Job Description
The Associate Product Manager within the Cell Development Team plays a critical role in driving the technical execution of advanced cell, battery, and electrochemical system development programs. This position partners closely with mechanical, chemical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers to ensure that new cell technologies progress through design, validation, and manufacturability milestones with rigor and discipline. The Associate Product Manager applies engineering-based program management, DFMA principles, and structured problem-solving methodologies such as 8D to support high-quality, scalable product development. This role is ideal for early-career engineers seeking to deepen their technical leadership capabilities within a fast-paced R&D environment.
Responsibilities
Drive engineering-focused project execution across multiple concurrent cell development programs, ensuring alignment of technical deliverables, design milestones, and validation activities.
Collaborate directly with engineering teams to define, document, and maintain technical requirements, specifications, and acceptance criteria for new cell designs and subsystems.
Lead and support structured problem-solving efforts, including 8D, root-cause analysis, containment actions, and long-term corrective actions to resolve technical issues impacting performance, safety, or manufacturability.
Champion Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) by working with design and manufacturing engineers to evaluate design concepts, identify manufacturability risks, and ensure smooth transition from proto@type to scaled production.
Analyze engineering data, test results, and design changes to assess impacts on schedule, cost, performance, and downstream manufacturing processes.
Identify and track technical risks, dependencies, and integration challenges; escalate critical issues with clear engineering @context and recommended mitigation paths.
Maintain engineering-driven project artifacts, including technical dashboards, design maturity trackers, validation matrices, and risk registers using Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, and related PMO tools.
Coordinate technical design reviews, DFMEA/PFMEA discussions, and cross-functional engineering checkpoints, ensuring actions are captured, assigned, and closed with measurable outcomes.
Support scope and change management by evaluating proposed design modifications, documenting technical implications, and ensuring alignment with engineering leads.
Facilitate communication across engineering, operations, quality, and manufacturing teams to maintain clarity on technical priorities, design intent, and integration strategies.
Essential Skills
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
1-3 years of experience in engineering, technical project coordination, or program support within a product development or R&D environment.
Ability to interpret engineering documentation, test data, and technical requirements.
Experience supporting hardware development, validation, or manufacturing readiness activities.
Experience with DFMA principles and their application in hardware or component development.
Familiarity with 8D problem-solving or similar structured root-cause methodologies.
Strong organizational, leadership, and coordination skills with the ability to drive accountability across technical teams.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic engineering environment with shifting technical requirements.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools; experience with Microsoft Project preferred.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
Foundational understanding of lithium-ion batteries, electrochemical systems, electronics, or related hardware components.
Work Environment
Fast-paced engineering and R&D environment with frequent interaction across mechanical, chemical, electrical, and manufacturing engineering teams. Work performed primarily in a temperature-controlled office and laboratory setting. Requires adaptability to shifting technical requirements and evolving development priorities.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Ann Arbor, MI.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $39.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Ann Arbor,MI.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Apr 17, 2026.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:
Hiring diverse talent
Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
Ensuring growth opportunities for our people
Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we've helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC-with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.
Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.
