Technical Project Manager - Airborne Optical Systems

Technical Project Manager Airborne Optical Systems Burlington ON

Please note that to be considered for any position at PV Labs, all candidates must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Canadian Controlled-Goods Program of the Defense Production Act, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance. If you are not clear about your eligibility, please consult the Government of Canada website HERE

At PVLabs, Project Managers don't just manage schedules—they turn technical ambition into delivered reality.

You will operate at the center of a highly multidisciplinary organization, aligning Engineering Labs (Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Gateware, Systems), Operations, Leadership, and Customers around a shared execution plan. Your primary job is not task tracking—it is outcome ownership: clarifying priorities, managing risk, sequencing interdependencies, and driving decisions in complex, fast-moving environments.

This is a senior role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, brings technical credibility, and leads through influence rather than authority. You'll guide programs from early uncertainty through execution, balancing long-term system milestones with short-term tradeoffs in design, supply chain, and resourcing.

As PVLabs evolves from a custom-engineering model to a product-centric innovation company, you'll help shape how programs are planned, governed, and scaled across a growing portfolio of airborne ISR systems.

You will work closely with the PVLabs Engineering Council—a small group of Staff and Principal Engineers spanning all engineering disciplines.

Rather than micromanaging tasks, youll rely on this group as a force multiplier: translating program priorities into executable engineering work, surfacing technical risk early, and sequencing interdependent deliverables. Your success depends on strong relationships, shared context, and mutual trust—combining your program-level ownership with their deep technical leadership.

• Own cost, schedule, risk, and performance across complex technical programs from kickoff through delivery
• Develop and maintain integrated master schedules, technical baselines, and risk frameworks
• Balance engineering ambition with production realities, supply chain constraints, and resourcing limits
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Align Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Optics, and Gateware work streams
• Translate complex technical data into decision-ready insight for leadership and customers
• Manage stakeholder communication with clarity, urgency, and judgment
• Decision & Dependency Management
• Sequence and deconflict interdependent deliverables across disciplines
• Anticipate downstream impacts and resolve issues before they escalate
• Drive tradeoff decisions grounded in realism and system-level thinking
• Process & Scale Enablement
• Help shape PVLabs ERP-integrated project management approach, including resource modeling, material planning, and NRE forecasting
• Contribute to how we plan, track, and communicate work as the organization scales

We value how people work as much as what they deliver. You are someone who:

• Sees both the big picture and the work-package detail
• Leads through credibility, diplomacy, and clarity rather than authority
• Is energized by complex, fast-moving technical environments
• Brings order to ambiguity through structured thinking and decisive action
• Thinks systemically across electro-mechanical-optical products
• Communicates confidently without ego—and know when to ask questions
• Is comfortable navigating tension, tradeoffs, and competing priorities
• Has worked where documentation, plans, and products evolve together

This role is intentionally not suited to generic project management backgrounds.

You've spent a meaningful portion of your career working inside complex, hardware-driven engineering environments—where systems are physical, failure is expensive, and integration risk is real. You understand that managing a program like this requires more than process fluency; it requires technical intuition,…