Description
Type of role: Contractor/freelance
Duration: Assignment of +- 6 months
Start date: To be discussed, flexible.
As a Project Manager, you will report directly to the CEO and take charge of managing our various electric bike motor development projects. Operating within a cross-matrix organization developing complex technical products, this role overlaps text-book project management and a Project Management Officer (PMO) function.
Your mission is to keep projects agile, flexible, and running on time, within budget, and adhering to strict project quality targets. You will coordinate cross-functional technical teams, manage high-level stakeholder relationships, and actively develop and maintain the company's internal project management processes.
Project Planning, Scope & Structure
Define Project Scope: Prepare the Project Charter to outline the project scope, goals, overall budget needs, timeline, and quality targets in line with the product development process.
WBS Ownership: Collaborate with the Product Architect & Chief Engineer at the project's inception to prepare the product Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Retain sole authorization rights for any subsequent WBS modifications.
Team Alignment: Support the Chief Engineer & Product Architect in bringing structure to development projects. Act as a "mirror" to the technical teams during weekly meetings, proactively identifying deviations and steering the team toward target dates.
Cross-Functional Coordination & Process Management
Technical Team Orchestration: Coordinate all activities across technical development disciplines, including Hardware, Software, Manufacturing, and Test.
Quality Gate Accountability: Ensure all responsible team members deliver their respective milestones on or before scheduled quality gates.
Continuous Improvement: Contribute to internal process optimization, driving efficiency in project execution across the company.
Stakeholder, Change & Financial Management
Key Stakeholder Relations: Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external partners, acting as the primary point of contact. This includes working directly with our key partner, Decathlon.
Executive Reporting: Periodically prepare and present comprehensive project dashboards and KPIs to the Executive Committee.
Change Management: Take full responsibility for managing project modifications, including technical specifications, budgets, timelines, and quality parameters.
Financial Control: Draft, submit, and manage project financial plans. Act as the exclusive point of contact for external customer discussions regarding contracting and financial transactions.
Risk Mitigation: Perform continuous risk management to minimize project vulnerabilities, identifying dependencies and critical paths to resolve strategic bottlenecks.
Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an engineering discipline (Electromechanical, Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering). An MBA or a Master's degree in Finance/Accounting is considered a strong asset.
Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience managing cross-functional projects or operations, preferably within the automotive or a similar mass-market manufacturing industry.
Technical Knowledge: A proven technical background with familiarity in electro-mechanical product development is an asset Knowledge of logistics and supply chain management is a plus.
Project Methodology: Excellent project management skills (including project quality management). A recognized certification (e.g., PMP, ACP, PRINCE2) is a plus.
Financial Literacy: Very good knowledge and understanding of finance, budgeting, and accounting principles.
Language & Travel: Fluent in English, ideally with a good level of French.
Impartial & Resilient: Ability to stay calm, objective, and independent under pressure, with a proven capability to collaborate effectively with highly opinionated, cross-disciplinary engineers.
Leadership Presence: A clear ability to "move the room" and steer diverse teams toward unified objectives according to project needs.
Results-Oriented: A driving attitude focused heavily on execution, meeting intermediate/final development targets, and strictly adhering to deadlines.
Master Communicator: Excellent negotiation, summarizing, and reporting skills, backed by a well-structured and rigorous approach to problem-solving.
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