Job Title: Aerospace Project Manager
Placement Type: Contract to Hire
Top Skills
Leading Projects from End to End
Aerospace Experience
MS Project and CAD (Catia/NX)
Job Description
The Aerospace Project Manager leads complex customer projects from kickoff through final delivery, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and in alignment with scope and quality requirements. This role oversees technical and financial aspects of aerospace and advanced manufacturing programs, coordinates cross-functional teams, and serves as a primary customer contact. The position offers significant ownership, visibility, and impact, with opportunities to work on innovative aerospace tooling, automation, and manufacturing initiatives while developing strong leadership capabilities.
Responsibilities
Lead aerospace and advanced manufacturing projects from initial kickoff through final delivery, ensuring adherence to scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives.
Coordinate with internal resources, including engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, scheduling, finance, and data management, to execute project plans effectively.
Assist in defining project scope and objectives, engaging all relevant stakeholders and confirming technical and commercial feasibility.
Ensure resource availability and allocation in collaboration with the scheduling department to support project timelines and deliverables.
Develop and maintain master project timing plans and regularly report status to customers and internal stakeholders.
Manage customer authority data in partnership with the data management team to ensure accuracy and alignment with project requirements.
Support the development and sourcing of outsourced work scopes to maintain project cost, timing, and quality targets.
Perform risk and opportunity assessments, implementing mitigation strategies and managing programs internally and externally to minimize project risks.
Manage changes to project scope, schedule, and cost using appropriate project management tools and change control processes.
Track project job costs, monitor budget performance, and escalate or adjust plans as needed to meet financial objectives.
Assist in performing PCM reporting and other financial reporting activities for the finance organization.
Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, managing interactions, expectations, and feedback throughout the project lifecycle.
Report issues, risks, and concerns to management on a bi-weekly basis or as needed, providing clear status updates and action plans.
Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation, including plans, reports, change logs, and technical records.
Ensure that quality reports and project deliverables meet or exceed both customer requirements and internal standards.
Work autonomously to manage projects, applying strong organizational skills and adherence to established processes and procedures.
Apply standard project management strategies, including project kickoffs, change strategies, intellectual property strategies, and standard PM&E procedures.
Utilize MS Project and CAD tools such as Catia or NX, as well as the Microsoft Office Suite, to plan, track, and communicate project activities.
Perform project estimating, budget allocation, and monthly Estimate at Completion (EAC) updates to support financial visibility and control.
Demonstrate project leadership presence, foster teamwork, and lead cross-functional teams toward successful project outcomes.
Engage in customer-facing interactions, including status reviews, issue resolution, and long-term relationship building.
Manage multiple large and small projects simultaneously in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.
Communicate regularly with customers to gather feedback, monitor performance, and ensure satisfaction with project progress and deliverables.
Provide excellent service to internal stakeholders and external customers by responding promptly and professionally to requests and issues.
Create and maintain complex files and written documents, ensuring accurate and organized records of project activities.
Define tasks and milestones required to achieve project objectives and ensure optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.
Work effectively with different levels of management, team members, and customers to align expectations and drive project success.
Travel as needed, including short and long trips, to customer sites, supplier locations, and internal facilities to support project execution.
Essential Skills
Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field, providing a strong foundation in technical project execution and manufacturing environments.
Proven project management experience managing customer projects from kickoff through completion, ensuring delivery on time, within budget, and within scope.
Experience with schedule and resource planning, including developing project timelines, allocating resources, tracking milestones, and using Microsoft Project.
Proficiency with project management tools and methodologies, including risk management, change control, and structured project documentation.
Strong customer relationship management skills, with the ability to manage expectations, communicate project status, and resolve issues effectively.
Experience in financial management for projects, including tracking project costs, managing budgets, supporting forecasting activities, and identifying financial risks and opportunities.
Ability to identify project risks and opportunities, implement mitigation plans, manage scope changes, and maintain project delivery objectives.
Cross-functional leadership experience coordinating engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, scheduling, finance, and other stakeholders to achieve project goals.
Proficiency in MS Project and CAD tools such as Catia or NX.
Strong skills with the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Industry experience of 2-4+ years in tooling, manufacturing, industrial equipment, or design-build programs, preferably within aerospace or related sectors.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with strong documentation practices and the ability to convey complex information clearly.
Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced manufacturing environment while maintaining quality and attention to detail.
Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, follow established processes, and apply strong organizational skills.
Project leadership presence with the ability to lead teams, collaborate effectively, and operate in customer-facing environments.
Willingness and ability to travel up to approximately 25% of the time, including both short and long trips.
Work Environment
Up to 25% Travel
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Bothell, WA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $70.00 - $90.00/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 Bothell,WA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Aug 20, 2026.
About Actalent
Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.
The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.
If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.