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Senior Project Manager, R&D
Dream Photonics Inc.
Vancouver, CAN
Full Time
Senior
Onsite
2 days ago
Project ManagementProgram ManagementAgileScrumKanbanStage Gate
Free
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About the Role
Dream Photonics Inc. is seeking a Senior Project Manager, R&D to lead complex technical projects and help define the project management framework as the company transitions from R&D to commercial product.
Key Skills for This Role
Project ManagementProgram ManagementAgileScrumKanbanStage Gate
Responsibilities
- Partner with Director, R&D and leadership to define and implement project management framework
- Lead complex technical and R&D projects from planning through execution
- Convert ambiguous objectives into practical plans with milestones, owners, deliverables, and risks
- Drive daily and weekly execution cadence across multiple concurrent R&D initiatives
- Lead portfolio planning and resource coordination
- Identify execution risks and organizational bottlenecks
- Support strategic decision making with project reporting and dashboards
- Facilitate project meetings and decision forums
- Define and evolve project management practices appropriate for advanced R&D
- Establish, manage, and monitor project budgets ranging from CAD 50K to CAD 1M+
Requirements
- 8+ years of project or program management experience in engineering, R&D, manufacturing, or product development
- Experience working within an early stage startup, scale up, or rapidly evolving technology organization
- Demonstrated success designing and implementing project management frameworks
- Experience leading organizational change within technical organizations
- Experience partnering with senior leaders to improve organizational execution
- Proven ability to deliver complex technical projects through ambiguity
- Experience managing project budgets, timelines, resource allocation, risks, and dependencies
- Strong facilitation skills
- Working knowledge of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Stage Gate, Lean, or hybrid methodologies
Full Job Posting
About Dream Photonics
- Dream Photonics is a deep tech startup developing advanced manufacturing technology for photonic systems.
- We are developing PICTORTM, a manufacturing platform using precision 3D printing for optical connections.
- Our work connects to AI data centres, optical modules, high performance computing, quantum technologies, sensing, and defence.
The Role
- We are looking for a Senior Project Manager, R&D to help define how our R&D organization plans, prioritizes, and executes work.
- This role combines hands on project leadership with organizational development and change management.
What You Will Do
- Partner with the Director, R&D and leadership team to define, implement, and continuously improve the project management framework.
- Lead complex technical and R&D projects from planning through execution.
- Work with technical leaders to convert ambiguous objectives into practical plans.
- Drive daily and weekly execution cadence across multiple concurrent R&D initiatives.
- Lead portfolio planning and resource coordination.
- Identify execution risks, resource constraints, and organizational bottlenecks.
- Support strategic decision making by providing clear project reporting and dashboards.
- Facilitate project meetings, design reviews, and decision forums.
- Define and evolve a practical blend of agile, iterative, and hardware project management practices.
- Establish, manage, and monitor project budgets ranging from CAD 50K to CAD 1M+.
- Help the technical team adopt new ways of working through change management.
- Identify opportunities to improve organizational execution and collaboration.
Required Qualifications
- 8+ years of project or program management experience in engineering, R&D, manufacturing, or product development.
- Experience working within an early stage startup, scale up, or rapidly evolving technology organization.
- Demonstrated success designing and implementing project management frameworks.
- Demonstrated experience leading organizational change within technical organizations.
- Experience partnering with senior leaders to improve organizational execution.
- Proven ability to deliver complex technical projects through ambiguity.
- Demonstrated success coordinating cross functional teams.
- Experience managing project budgets, timelines, resource allocation, risks, and dependencies.
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical teams and senior leaders without formal authority.
- Strong facilitation skills.
- Experience preparing project plans, dashboards, and executive updates.
- Working knowledge of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Stage Gate, Lean, or hybrid methodologies.
Assets
- Experience in photonics, semiconductors, optics, advanced manufacturing, robotics, aerospace, medical devices, or deep tech.
- Experience supporting organizations transitioning from academic research to commercial product development.
- Experience commercializing new technologies or scaling technical organizations.
- Experience establishing or leading project management standards or PMO practices.
- Experience with engineering documentation, design reviews, validation testing, and change management.
- Experience using project management tools such as Jira, Asana, Monday.com, Microsoft Project, Notion, or Confluence.
- A degree or diploma in Engineering, Applied Science, Project Management, Business, or related discipline.
Personal Attributes
- Brings structure and organization to ambiguity.
- Thinks strategically while maintaining operational discipline.
- Demonstrates intellectual curiosity.
- Builds trust and credibility with engineers, scientists, and leaders.
- Is proactive, self directed, and comfortable taking ownership.
- Communicates with confidence, diplomacy, and empathy.
- Holds people accountable respectfully.
- Exercises sound judgment.
- Anticipates risks and identifies opportunities for improvement.
- Remains adaptable and composed as priorities evolve.
- Coaches leaders and teams in effective project planning and execution.
Compensation
- CAD 120,000 to CAD 160,000 per year, depending on experience.
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