Project Manager - Robotics & Drones
Aptiv · Troy
Project Manager - Robotics & Drones
We are Aptiv - a global technology company with 200,000 specialists in 48 countries. We develop innovative software and build the hardware to bring autonomous driving cars, advanced driver-assistance systems, connected vehicles and smart cities to life in a way that only we can. We work in partnership with almost all car manufacturers. Our sensors, systems and software can already be found in almost all passenger cars today.
Aptiv is building a new Robotics business focused on Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and Drones for warehouse, industrial, and adjacent market applications. We are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the planning, coordination, and execution of robotics and drone hardware and software development projects.
As a key member of the Adjacent Markets Robotics and Drones organization, you will work closely with engineering, product management, autonomy, localization, safety, manufacturing, operations, and commercial teams to ensure successful project delivery throughout the product lifecycle. This role requires strong organizational, technical, and communication skills, with the ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives from concept through deployment.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on project leader who can drive execution, manage schedules and risks, coordinate stakeholders, and help bring innovative robotics solutions to market.
Key Responsibilities
Project Planning & Execution
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables for robotics and drone development projects.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and according to defined technical, quality, safety, and business requirements.
- Track project progress, identify risks and issues, and drive mitigation and resolution activities.
- Facilitate project reviews, status meetings, design milestones, and decision-making processes.
- Support projects through all phases of the product lifecycle, including concept development, prototype validation, productization, launch, and deployment.
- Partner with engineering and product teams to manage scope, priorities, dependencies, and resource requirements.
- Ensure compliance with internal development processes and project management standards.
Cross-Functional Coordination
- Serve as the central point of coordination across engineering, product management, operations, manufacturing, and commercial teams.
- Ensure alignment of project objectives, schedules, and deliverables across stakeholders.
- Communicate project status, risks, and key decisions to leadership and team members.
- Support collaboration between global teams and external partners when required.
- Facilitate issue resolution and escalation processes to maintain project momentum.
Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
- Support customer-facing development activities, project reviews, status updates, and technical discussions.
- Build strong working relationships with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.
- Help translate customer requirements into actionable project plans and development activities.
- Assist in managing customer commitments, timelines, and deliverables.
- Support proposal development, project planning, and business growth initiatives as needed.
Governance & Process Management
- Maintain project metrics, dashboards, status reports, and KPI tracking.
- Monitor project performance against schedule, budget, quality, and delivery objectives.
- Apply project management methodologies including Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid approaches as appropriate.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives that enhance execution effectiveness and project predictability.
- Ensure project documentation is maintained and audit-ready.
Financial & Resource Tracking
- Support development and maintenance of project budgets, cost tracking, and resource forecasts.
- Monitor project expenditures and assist with budget reporting activities.
- Coordinate with functional managers to align resources with project requirements.
- Track project deliverables and resource utilization to support successful execution.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related technical discipline.
- 5+ years of experience managing engineering, product development, or technology projects.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating cross-functional teams in complex technical environments.
- Experience delivering hardware, software, or integrated system development projects.
- Strong understanding of project planning, schedule management, risk management, and product development processes.
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders simultaneously.
- Excellent communication, organizational, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
- Ability to work effectively within a matrixed organization.
- Proficiency with project management and product lifecycle management tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) in Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.
- PMP, CAPM, Agile, Scrum, or equivalent project management certification.
- Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, drones, aerospace, automotive, defense, industrial automation, or related industries.
- Experience supporting hardware-software integrated product development.
- Familiarity with manufacturing readiness, product launch, and production scaling activities.
- Knowledge of quality systems, regulatory compliance, and customer development processes.
- Experience supporting customer proposals, project estimates, or business development activities.
Traits We Seek
- Organized project leaders who can bring structure, accountability, and clarity to complex technical initiatives.
- Collaborative team players who build strong relationships and drive alignment across cross-functional organizations.
- Execution-focused professionals who consistently deliver commitments while balancing quality, schedule, cost, and technical objectives.
- Adaptable problem solvers who thrive in dynamic environments, proactively resolve issues, and continuously improve project outcomes.
Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.