Project Manager

Kratos Industries LLC•Arvada, CO

3d•$85,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Project Manager (PM) is responsible for leading design/build projects for custom power distribution equipment—including switchboards, docking stations, panelboards, and medium voltage switchgear—from post-sale kickoff through final shipment and closeout. This role is focused on establishing, maintaining, and executing milestone-based project plans across all departments (Sales, Engineering, Purchasing, Fabrication, Assembly, Quality, and Shipping). The ideal candidate is a highly responsive, proactive communicator and structured planner who drives internal accountability and external clarity to ensure projects are completed on time, within scope, and aligned with customer expectations. Key performance indicators associated with this role include but are not limited to on-time delivery, customer satisfaction and profitability.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in project management, preferably in manufacturing, construction, heavy industrial or a similar environment
Strong people orientation; able to quickly and effectively connect with all personality types
Excellent written and verbal communication
Strong organizational and time management skills
Healthy sense of urgency and a Can-Do attitude
Technically savvy and/or proficient in project management and ERP tools (ClickUp and JobBOSS² preferred)
Able to read and understand technical drawings and project specifications

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with switchgear or electrical product manufacturing a strong plus

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain high-level milestone schedules in ClickUp for all assigned projects
Collaborate with Sales, Engineering, and Operations to align on scope, deliverables, and timeline expectations at project initiation
Facilitate internal and customer-facing kickoff meetings to set expectations
Own the development and communication of milestone updates and recovery plans if projects fall behind
Ensure each department (Sales, ENG, Purchasing, Fab, Assembly, Quality, Shipping) understands and commits to their project milestones
Drive accountability across teams for updating and completing assigned tasks on schedule
Track and escalate risks to schedule, cost, or scope; drive resolution through clear action plans
Own daily and weekly internal and external project status updates, including progress vs. milestones, blockers, and recovery plans
Act as the central point of contact for customer communication related to commercial timelines, customer input deadlines and general coordination
Proactively manage Customer expectations, seeking to avoid surprises and pushing back when necessary
Maintain change order tracking and ensure that impacts to scope or timeline are properly communicated and reflected in the milestone plan and all systems
Coordinate job setup in JobBOSS² and ClickUp upon project award and maintain data in all systems with 100% accuracy
Drive consistent use of RFIs, submittal redlines, and approval workflows in Engineering.
Maintain proper documentation throughout the project lifecycle, including RFIs, closeout packages and shipping coordination
Maintain records of estimated costs for materials and labor based on initial sales quotes
Track and reconcile actual expenditures against budgets through the procurement and build phases
Monitor project costs in real-time to identify variances and proactively address budget overruns
Prepare and present detailed profitability reports upon order completion, highlighting cost drivers and margin performance
Collaborate with finance and procurement teams to ensure accurate cost allocation and invoice tracking
Identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements based on post-project financial analysis
Support continuous improvement by providing feedback on estimating accuracy and cost forecasting assumptions
Oversee milestone alignment and change order process; send initial and post-submittal order acknowledgments
Attend customer calls and stay abreast of customer requests and potential scope and schedule impacts; maintain RFI logs; stay aligned with Project Engineering on project status and customer deliverable requirements
Initiate AOGs; ensure departments complete pre-requisites before requests; manage special vendor partnerships
Drive kitting and production schedules; coordinate purchasing follow-up on open POs to support timely assembly
Ensure adherence to build and inspection milestones.
Coordinate all final shipment logistics and ensure documentation completion.