Product Owner - Harness Manufacturing

Product Owner – Manufacturing HarnessLocation: El Segundo, California, OnsiteCompensation: 150,000 to 215,000 USD per year U.S. Citizenship Required (Security Clearance Eligible)Darwin Space are partnered with an exciting national security space company who are developing advanced small satellites for high priority U.S. government missions. They are looking for a Product Owner for Manufacturing Harness who will own schedule, cost and technical performance across assigned hardware deliverables, ensuring subsystem components are built, tested and delivered with quality and on schedule.This role is ideal for someone who enjoys a blend of technical oversight, manufacturing coordination, program execution and continuous improvement. You will work with engineering, production, ATLO and program management to drive execution across multiple hardware flowlines while improving manufacturability and supporting long term product strategy.This is a senior individual contributor role with high visibility across programs and customers.Role OverviewThe Product Owner for Manufacturing Harness will coordinate subsystem deliverables across engineering, procurement, manufacturing and test. You will manage project scope, schedules, cost estimates, risk and Earned Value inputs, while ensuring all technical work aligns with program needs.You will support roadmap planning, develop historical cost and schedule data for future baselines, track discrepancies, drive issue resolution and provide program status to leadership and customers. This role requires a balance of organisational skill, technical understanding, communication ability and cross functional leadership.Key ResponsibilitiesProgram Coordination and ExecutionCoordinate with Program Management Offices and MPMs to prioritise hardware deliverablesDrive day to day execution across procurement, production and engineeringManage project scope, schedules, estimates, cost performance and EAC inputsProvide variance analysis and corrective action planningCost, Schedule and Earned ValueUpdate LRE planners and schedulesProvide Earned Value inputs and supporting analysesDevelop and maintain historical cost and schedule data sets to support planningProduction and Manufacturing SupportWork closely with Production Scheduling to align shared build areas with program timelinesTrack DRs and work closely with engineering teams to close them promptlyEnsure smooth progress of work on the manufacturing floorProduct Management and RoadmappingDevelop product roadmaps aligned with company business plansIdentify and manage technical changes to improve manufacturabilityRepresent assigned control accounts as a technical authority and performance ownerTrack and report Technical Performance MetricsRisk and Issue ManagementIdentify issues early and drive proactive resolutionManage risks and highlight potential program impactsCoordinate with engineering teams to transition development work into mature productsCommunication and ReportingProvide clear status updates to program management, customers and stakeholdersFacilitate cross functional communication across engineering, production and ATLO teamsRequired QualificationsBachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a technical or business disciplineExperience leading engineering or manufacturing teamsExperience with cost, schedule and risk managementProficiency with Jira, Excel, Word, Project and PowerPointAbility to use data and metrics to manage scope and drive executionStrong verbal and written communication skillsPreferred QualificationsBachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Computer, Electrical, Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science or Electronic DesignExperience with project leadershipUnderstanding of Waterfall, Agile or hybrid execution methodologiesAbility to balance the needs of multiple programs in resource constrained environmentsUnderstanding of satellite systems and componentsExperience with ConfluenceActive TS/SCI clearanceCompensation and BenefitsBase salary between 121,000 and 215,000 USDCompetitive variable compensation opportunitiesHealth, dental and vision insuranceFlexible spending and health savings accountsRetirement savings plansPaid and unpaid time offDarwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.Adam Slade