Aerospace Project Manager - QE

About Quartus

Quartus Engineering Incorporated () is a leading provider of engineering services and integrated hardware solutions for a wide range of clients and industries. We employ advanced computer-aided engineering tools in the areas of optics, structural, thermal, and coupled analyses. We couple our engineering analysis capabilities with design, prototype, integration and test capabilities to create solutions for our clients that are of extraordinary value.

Development of custom optical systems for aerospace applications is a core business area for Quartus. Our work includes spaceborne, airborne, and ground‑based systems for imaging, spectrography, lasercom, LiDAR, energy transfer, and other applications. Typical development processes start with mission objectives definition, progress through all stages of design and analysis, and conclude with hardware build and test. Our clients are very diverse—from well‑established large government organizations such as NASA to agile “new space” start‑ups.

We pride ourselves on our ability to find common language with diverse groups of people and to develop new advanced technical systems while meeting the budget and schedule that each particular program can sustain. Our team includes optical, opto‑mechanical, mechanical, electrical, and software engineers working in a highly collaborative environment where communication and team ethics are key.

As a Technical Project Manager in our San Diego office, you will lead small to mid‑sized engineering projects and may support larger programs as a deputy to a Program Manager. You will serve as the primary point of contact between Quartus and our clients, managing expectations while planning and executing projects from start to finish. Responsibilities include overseeing scope, schedule, and budget;

delegating tasks and ensuring quality; mentoring junior team members; and applying strong technical expertise to drive complex, challenging work. Success in this role requires excellent communication, leadership, and time management skills in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment. This is a dynamic position in which time management of yourself and your project team members is critical for success.

• Responsible for all phases of projects from conception through completion, including:
  • Proposal/project planning
  • Managing project performance to ensure quality, business, and financial objectives are met
• Participate with engineering to establish engineering technical approach that aligns with project budget and schedule, typically including generation and maintenance of requirements verification/validation strategy and risk mitigation planning.
• Planning project staffing.
• Track labor, material, and expense costs against developed cost estimate baselines.
• Manage bill of material suppliers and subcontractors based on project needs to mitigate impact of cost and schedule constraints.
• Responsible for handling issues or nonconformances as they occur and reacting quickly toward resolution.
• Communicate with client and manage their expectations.
• Organize and lead internal and external weekly project status meetings.
• May be a key technical contributor on project work, for example, perform engineering tasks such as design, analysis, hardware build and test, etc.

• Deliver project performance feedback – both directly to engineers and to their respective managers.
• Foster a collaborative and transparent work environment, encouraging effective communication and knowledge sharing across project teams and departments.
• May be expected to mentor Project Administrators.

• Work with program managers, engineering, and sales to write effective proposals, which includes defining scope, estimating costs, generating a schedule, and defining technical content for a variety of contract vehicles.

• Process improvement:
  • Champion a culture of continuous improvement by evaluating and enhancing program management methodologies, tools, and processes.

Position is based in San Diego with a hybrid schedule.*

• The…