Project Manager, Mech & Elec Sys. (NPI)

ESS Inc•Wilsonville, OR

About The Position

ESS is seeking a Project Manager II, BESS Mechanical & Electrical (NPD / NPI) to drive project execution across our mechanical and electrical systems product development initiatives. This role drives detailed project planning, coordination, and delivery for complex, cross-functional development efforts, ensuring that timelines are realistic, dependencies are understood, and teams remain aligned to product roadmaps and company commitments as we deliver next-generation energy storage products. You will act as a key execution driver, integrating internal teams of engineers, architects, product leaders, and third-party partners into a cohesive project structure, proactively managing dependencies, identifying risks, tracking costs, and maintaining timelines to ensure projects are executed effectively and with emphasis on quality results. This role operates with moderate autonomy and emphasizes hands-on coordination, schedule integration, and risk management, operating as a bridge between functional execution and program objectives. The ideal candidate is proactive, highly organized, technologically fluent, and comfortable navigating competing priorities with support from leadership.

Requirements

Execution mindset and the ability to organize and motivate teams to implement with excellence
3-6+ years of experience in project management, program management, engineering within a physical product development environment
Experience delivering complex, multi-team project outputs in integrated system NPD/NPI or product evolution applications – relevant industries include automotive, aerospace, energy, or similar technical products
Strong working knowledge of product development + NPI lifecycles and PMI processes
Proven ability to manage cross-functional dependencies and external partners
Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder coordination skills
Ability to operate independently in fast-paced, evolving environments
Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail and follow-through
Ability to engage deeply with technical teams without direct authority and understand complex integrated system design strategies/development interplay to identify associated effort, risks, & challenges
Ability to deal with ambiguity and dynamic priorities

Nice To Haves

Experience in energy storage, power systems, EV, utilities, or similar industries
Background in hardware-focused NPI and integrated systems product development
Experience with mechanical / electrical subcontractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers
Familiarity with product safety and regulatory compliance requirements
Familiarity with information management tools such as Smartsheet, MS Project, Jira, Confluence, Oracle Cloud, Fusion PLM
Proficiency with Excel and / or Power BI
PMP, Scrum, or similar certification (preferred)

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end scope capture and facilitate execution of mechanical and electrical system product development projects
Detail and maintain integrated project plans, including milestones, dependencies, and risks
Proactively engage with mechanical and electrical engineering teams to ensure progress against milestones, leveraging sprint methodologies to keep teams focused and organized
Partner with technical SMEs to define, scope, and manage subcontractor engagements, including development of SoW and deliverable expectations
Serve as the primary coordination point for third-party development vendors, ensuring alignment to project timelines and deliverables
Identify, escalate, and resolve cross-team risks, blockers, and execution gaps with support from leadership
Track project progress to support accurate portfolio KPIs
Run project reviews, standups, and status communications with a focus on accuracy and consistency
Support translation of product and technical strategy into executable plans
Implement and reinforce project management tools, processes, and governance standards
Contribute to resource planning, forecasting, and project-level budgeting as needed