Project Manager, Multi-Project NPI in Safety Equipment Manufacturing (Smartsheet + SolidWorks)

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This is a brand-new role, created because the company is growing 25 to 30% a year and the chief engineer can no longer absorb project management on top of running his team. You would own it from day one.

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a well-established manufacturer of safety and fall protection equipment based in Compton, CA. This is a roughly 200-person site (about 100 in the offices, 95 on the production floor) with a 30-person engineering and design department. The work here is high-mix assembly: components and fabric turned into finished safety products, not single long-cycle programs. The company is growing fast, is not constrained by budget, and moves quickly when it wants to invest.

- People who like running many short-cycle projects at once (3-month to 2-year timelines, 10 to 15 launches or completions a month) rather than one giant multi-year program

- Operators who can chase down engineers, design, purchasing, and marketing and keep everyone on track without being asked twice

- Communicators who answer a question with specifics and a story, not just "yes"

- People who want the role to grow; once the projects are under control, this person picks up hands-on engineering and process-improvement work

If you come from a world where a single project runs for years (one bolt, one program, one certification cycle), this pace will not feel familiar, and that is the most common reason candidates here do not work out.

You would report to the chief engineer and sit inside the engineering and design group. Right now the projects are tracked but not tightly managed; your first job is to bring order, get every project visible and on schedule in Smartsheet, and keep the cross-functional teams aligned. The company estimates that within about six months, once you have the system running cleanly, project management will only take a few hours a day. The rest of the time you grow into engineering-adjacent work: computer-aided design (CAD) projects, production-line problem solving, and process improvement. That is why an engineering background matters here even though the day-one job is project management.

- Manage 20 to 30 concurrent engineering and new-product projects, keeping each on scope, schedule, and track

- Run the company's project tracking in Smartsheet, including automation, embedded part-number references, and color-coded status

- Drive New Product Introduction (NPI): coordinate design, manufacturing, and supply-chain readiness through product launch

- Follow up with engineering, design, purchasing, and marketing to clear blockers and keep projects moving

- Reprioritize fast when a project shifts from "nice to have" to urgent (for example, a safety-standard change that compresses a year-long project into three months)

- As project load stabilizes, take on CAD work and production-line and process-improvement assignments from the chief engineer

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- A bachelor's degree in a technical or hard-science field (engineering, science, technology, or similar); this is firm, as all hires complete a timed cognitive assessment after the on-site interview

- A proven track record managing many projects concurrently (think 20-plus at a time), with short-cycle, high-volume project experience

- Hands-on experience with Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Monday.com, or a comparable project management platform, with the ability to speak in detail about how you used it

- Strong, fluid verbal communication; you will work daily with busy engineers and need to explain and push without friction

- Available to work 100% on-site in Compton, Monday through Friday

:

- A mechanical or manufacturing engineering degree specifically (positions you for the higher end of the range and the engineering work this role grows into)

- Hands-on SolidWorks experience; you will support engineers and it helps to understand why a design is or is not on track

- Background in machinery, computer numerical control (CNC), industrial equipment, consumer goods, or other high-mix, multi-project manufacturing

- New Product Introduction (NPI) and design-control experience

- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

: Up to $160,000 to $165,000 for a strong engineer with SolidWorks; the range flexes down for non-engineer candidates who are excellent project managers. Pay is experience-dependent and the company pays above industry average.

: No annual bonus for this role.

: Monday through Friday, on-site; most offices are done by 4:00 to 4:30 PM.

: Compton, CA. Easy reach from the South Bay, Long Beach, Downey, and the greater Los Angeles area.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision; 401(k) with company match; and paid time off and holidays.

A note on the process: the company is genuinely selective. After the on-site interview, every candidate completes a battery of assessments (about four hours, taken from home), including two cognitive tests. Candidates with degrees in hard-science and technical fields tend to do well on these.

Interested? Apply via LinkedIn and we'll be in touch. Confidential search; your application is fully private.

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