Technical Project Manager (6-month contract)

Description of Role

We're looking for a Technical Project Manager to be the organizational backbone of our hardware and software engineering team. You'll build and manage project plans, run planning sessions and design reviews, and keep work moving across electrical, software, mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing using an agile approach adapted for hardware's long lead times and validation cycles. You'll spot at-risk milestones early, clear blockers, and keep the team focused.

The ideal candidate is experienced at operating without direct authority and is confident in negotiation, influence, and constructively pushing back when schedules, scope, or commitments are at risk.

You'll also track component sourcing and purchase orders, so parts arrive when the schedule needs them. If you enjoy bringing order to complex, cross-functional work, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Project Coordination & Agile Facilitation (~75%)

• Serve as the primary link between program management and the engineering team, turning program goals and timelines into actionable engineering plans while keeping leadership informed on progress, risks, and schedule impacts.
• Build and maintain project plans, timelines, and dependency maps across engineering, procurement, and manufacturing in Smartsheet.
• Facilitate team check-ins and planning sessions using a cadence suited to hardware work — not a rigid two-week sprint box, but a rolling planning window that accounts for long lead times and validation cycles
• Maintain a visible task/backlog board (Jira) that reflects both engineering tasks and procurement dependencies side by side
• Track action items, owners, and deadlines; proactively flag at-risk milestones
• Identify and remove blockers for engineers — including surfacing supply chain blockers before they stall a build
• Run retrospectives and continuous-improvement check-ins to refine team workflow over time
• Coordinate and facilitate cross-team meetings (design reviews, kickoffs, milestone checkpoints, cross-functional syncs with EE, mechanical, firmware, and procurement)
• Identify and risk-plan for scope creep and unnecessary context-switching
• Use flow-based metrics (cycle time, WIP limits, throughput) rather than sprint velocity where they better reflect hardware's uneven task sizes

Procurement & Supply Chain (~25%)

• Track Sourcing for electrical, mechanical, and other components (ICs, PCBs, connectors, enclosures, cables, fasteners)
• Manage quotes, compare distributor/vendor pricing (Digi-Key, Mouser, LCSC, direct manufacturer channels)
• Issue and track purchase orders; expedite critical-path orders
• Monitor lead times and proactively flag components at risk of delaying the schedule
• Manage basic vendor relationships and negotiate pricing/terms where applicable

Required Qualifications

• Be a good human - get along with the team, build strong working relationships, and execute on Dephy's Values.
• 5+ years in project coordination, program management, or procurement (software/hardware/electronics environment strongly preferred).
• Strong organizational skills and comfort managing many moving parts simultaneously across software, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing.
• Confident operating without direct authority: able to negotiate, influence, and push back constructively when schedules, scope, or vendor commitments are at risk.
• Working knowledge of agile methodology; scrum master experience or certification a plus (CSM, PSM).
• Experience with project/task tracking tools (Jira, Smartsheet).
• Clear written and verbal communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working directly with electrical, software, firmware, or mechanical engineering teams
• Vendor negotiation experience
• Exposure to manufacturing or NPI (New Product Introduction) processes
• Ability to read and understand a BOM and basic component datasheets