R&D; - Mech

Navi Mumbai (In office)

Associate

8-12 years

Fulltime

Job Description

Role Overview:

The Project Manager (PjM) takes independent, end-to-end ownership of UAV product development projects – new products, variants, features or technology demonstrators – from M0 (Project approval and kick-off) through M5 (series release / SOP) under the Product development framework. Accountable for delivery to agreed Quality, Cost and Timeline (QCT), the role plans and controls the project, integrates cross-functional teams, drives prototypes, V&V;, type certification and customer trials / demonstrations, and escalates risks and decisions early. The role typically manages concurrent projects.

Key Responsibilities:

1. End-to-End Project Planning & Milestone Delivery:

- Own the integrated project plan – WBS, schedule, M0–M5 milestone roadmap, Project Organisation Plan (POP) and RASI matrix – and baseline it in Zoho Projects at kick-off.

- Lead the project kick-off with the Product Manager and System Engineer; translate MRD / PRD and SRS inputs into delivery plans, sprint objectives and time targets agreed with all functions.

- Drive the build sequence (Pre-Mule, Mule, Prototype, Pilot Series, Golden Sample) and design reviews (PDR, DDR, CDR, Final Design Review) to the milestone plan.

- Prepare and present milestone / stage-gate reviews covering QCT status, deliverable readiness, Chances & Risks and Traffic Light (GYR) assessment for go-ahead decisions.

2. V&V;, Certification & Customer Readiness:

- Plan and control V&V; test campaigns, Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI), flight trials and customer demonstrations; ensure issues are registered, owned and closed before progression.

- Integrate the certification plan into the project critical path – DGCA Type Certification, and Blue UAS / FCC compliance where applicable – and track submissions, observations and closures.





- Ensure compliance with AS9100 QMS and iFPDP milestone deliverables, including controlled design releases (DCM ECRM) and project documentation.

- Support industrialization, pilot production and early series ramp-up with Operations until formal handover.

3. Scope, Cost, Resource & Change Control:

- Manage project budget and spend (BoM cost, material, prototype, test and certification costs) against the approved baseline with Finance; forecast and report variances.

- Plan resource loading with Function Heads; identify capacity conflicts early and escalate with options.

- Run formal change control for scope and target changes (TCR, ECR/ECN), assessing QCT, certification and delivery impact before approval.

- Coordinate with Supply Chain on long-lead items, sourcing strategy and vendor deliverables affecting the critical path.

4. Risk, Governance & Reporting:

- Own the project RAID log; identify technical, TRL, supply-chain, certification and schedule risks early with mitigation plans and owners.

- Run the project review cadence (daily standup, weekly sprint review, monthly sprint planning) and keep Zoho Projects the single source of truth for schedule, actions and decisions.

- Publish weekly / monthly status reports and dashboards (milestone OTD, SPI / CPI, critical path, blockers) and escalate decisions to PAC / management through the defined governance path.

- Act as the single point of contact for project communication, decisions and approvals with internal stakeholders, customers and vendors.

5.



Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement:

- Lead the cross-functional project team without direct line authority; guide Assistant Project Managers and Project Coordinators.

- Conduct sprint retrospectives and project-closure lessons learnt; contribute to PMO standards, templates and checklists.

Key Performance Indicators:

- Milestone on-time delivery (OTD) against the approved baseline.

- QCT adherence at each milestone gate (budget, quality and timeline).

- V&V;, certification and customer trial / demonstration milestones achieved as planned.

- Currency and quality of RAID, schedule and decision data in Zoho.

Qualifications & Requirements:

- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electronics, Electrical, Mechatronics or related discipline); a Master’s degree or PG in Project / Operations Management is an advantage.

- 8 to 12 years of total experience, including 6+ years managing end-to-end engineering product development projects – UAV, aerospace, defence, automotive or complex electro-mechanical systems preferred.

- Demonstrated delivery through a stage-gate / milestone lifecycle including prototype builds, V&V; and design releases; hands-on experience with regulatory type certification (DGCA or equivalent) is strongly preferred.

- Strong command of scheduling, CPM, Earned Value Management (SPI / CPI), risk management and change control; proficient in Zoho Projects, MS Project or Jira.

- Working knowledge of AS9100 / ISO 9001 QMS, DFMEA / PFMEA and configuration / change management (ECR/ECN).

- PMP, PRINCE2 or Agile (CSM / PMI-ACP) certification is preferred.

- Willingness to travel to flight-test, trial and customer sites as required.

Skills

Project Management

Project

Aerospace Manufacturing

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

Scrum

Defense Acquisition

📌 Project Manager (Navi Mumbai)
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📍 Navi Mumbai