Project Manager
Full Time + Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k with Company Match, PTO)
Job Type: Onsite
Salary Range: $120,000 - $140,000, DOE
Shift: Day
Location: Poway, CA
Fralock is an engineered solutions provider of specialty components and subassemblies using advanced materials for high reliability, severe environment, and technically challenging applications. We develop and manufacture custom integrated solutions. Established in 1967, we are a critical solutions provider to Fortune 500 corporations, government, and targeted OEMs in a variety of industries including Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturing, Medical and Life Science, Aerospace and Defense, Industrial, Electronics, and Energy. Fralock is headquartered in Valencia, CA with manufacturing locations located throughout Northern and Southern California.
VISION
To be recognized by our customers as a leading solutions provider of proprietary engineered advanced materials for high reliability, severe environment, and technically challenging applications.
MISSION
To create value, profitably grow, and share our success with all stakeholders.
CULTURE
- Respect – We treat others the way they want to be treated.
- Integrity – We practice a high standard of ethics in our business dealings with customers, suppliers and employees.
- Responsiveness – We have a sense of urgency in responding to internal and external requests and work proactively to solve problems.
- Excellence/Competence – We empower our people to continuously improve and execute high quality work.
- Teamwork – We work together to achieve Fralock business objectives by communicating at a high level, by listening and having clarity in our expectations of one another.
- Individual Accountability and Personal Responsibility – We do what we have committed to do when we committed to doing it.
- Continuous Improvement across all segments of the company
This position requires access to information controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the successful candidate must be a "U.S. person" as defined in the ITAR and EAR (which generally means (i) be a citizen or national of the United States; or (ii) be a lawful permanent resident of the United States; or (iii) have been admitted to the United States as a refugee, or have been granted asylum, as specified under applicable law.
Main Functions
The Project Manager is responsible for leading customer programs and internal cross-functional projects from initiation through completion, ensuring that scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, and customer expectations are clearly defined, actively managed, and successfully delivered. This role serves as the primary coordination point across Sales, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and Customer Service to ensure Fralock executes with discipline, urgency, and accountability.
The successful candidate will help strengthen program execution, improve communication, identify risks early, drive timely issue resolution, and support Fralock’s commitment to reliable delivery, customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and profitable growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead assigned customer programs, new product introductions, transfers, qualifications, production ramps, and strategic internal projects from launch through completion.
- Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, action registers, risk logs, and communication cadences.
- Coordinate cross-functional activity across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and execution.
- Serve as the central point of contact for project status, open actions, risks, customer commitments, and escalation needs.
- Drive accountability by assigning owners, due dates, deliverables, and follow-up actions, ensuring commitments are completed on time.
- Monitor project scope, timing, cost, resources, capacity constraints, quality requirements, and customer deliverables.
- Identify risks and issues early, escalate appropriately, and facilitate problem-solving to remove roadblocks and protect customer commitments.
- Support quote-to-launch and prototype-to-production activities, including engineering reviews, qualification planning, manufacturability input, material readiness, and production handoff.
- Prepare and communicate project updates, dashboards, meeting notes, leadership summaries, and customer-facing status reports as needed.
- Partner with Sales and Strategic Account teams to support customer communication, business reviews, site visits, escalation meetings, and program-level alignment.
- Work with Operations and Supply Chain to understand capacity, material availability, lead times, production readiness, and delivery risks.
- Support continuous improvement of project management tools, processes, templates, reporting routines, and governance standards.
- Use ERP, CRM, Microsoft Office, and other business systems to maintain accurate project information and support data-driven decisions.
- Balance customer advocacy with Fralock’s operational capabilities, profitability requirements, quality standards, and business priorities.
- Follow all safety requirements and company policies.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Required Skills
- Experience in one or more related engineering areas: ceramics manufacturing, sintering, industrial, production, or quality
- Experience in ceramic and/or glass component manufacturing
- Experience in semiconductor industry specific manufacturing, fabrication or project management
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings
- Strong project management, organization, prioritization, and follow-through skills.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority and drive completion of actions through influence and accountability.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly with customers, leadership, technical teams, and production personnel.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with a continuous improvement mindset.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, competing priorities, and time-sensitive deliverables in a manufacturing environment.
- Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, engineering change processes, quality requirements, supply chain coordination, and production planning.
- Experience identifying project risks, developing mitigation plans, and escalating issues appropriately.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams.
- Experience with ERP, MRP, CRM, or project management systems.
- Ability to interpret technical drawings, customer requirements, specifications, and project documentation.
- Experience in aerospace and defense, semiconductor, medical device, electronics, advanced materials, or high-reliability manufacturing.
Preferred Skills
- 2-4+ years in a technical engineering role
- Experience with multilayer ceramic manufacturing
Education Requirements
- Associates or bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering preferred or an Engineering related discipline.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Supply Chain, Project Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
Experience Requirements
- Minimum of 5 years of project management, program management, operations, engineering, customer program, or related experience in a manufacturing or technical environment preferred.
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma, APQP, or similar certification preferred but not required.
Physical Requirements
- Frequent use of hands for computer work, documentation, and communication tools.
- Ability to sit, stand, walk, and move throughout office and production areas as needed.
- Ability to perform similar operations and tasks for extended periods.
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. occasionally.
- Work is primarily performed indoors in a temperature-controlled office and manufacturing environment.
- May be required to enter production areas and use appropriate personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, gloves, and safety-toed footwear where required.
- While in production areas, may be exposed to moving machinery, mechanical parts, machine oils, and hazardous materials.
- Occasional travel to other Fralock facilities or customer sites may be required.
All offers of employment at Fralock are contingent upon clear results of a background check. Background checks may include some or all the following depending on job title and responsibilities:
- Social Security Verification
- Prior Employment Verification
- Criminal History
- Personal and Professional References
- Motor Vehicle Records (only if applicable for the position)
- Credit History (only if applicable for the position)
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of a position.
Fralock provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. #ZR
Skills Required
- Experience in a related engineering area such as ceramics manufacturing, sintering, industrial, production, or quality
- Experience in ceramic and/or glass component manufacturing
- Experience in semiconductor industry manufacturing, fabrication, or project management
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and technical documentation
- Strong project management, organization, prioritization, and follow-through skills
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams without direct authority
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
- Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities in a manufacturing environment
- Working knowledge of manufacturing operations, engineering change processes, quality requirements, supply chain coordination, and production planning
- Experience identifying project risks, developing mitigation plans, and escalating issues
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams
- Experience with ERP, MRP, CRM, or project management systems
- Experience in aerospace and defense, semiconductor, medical device, electronics, advanced materials, or high-reliability manufacturing
- U.S. person status as defined under ITAR and EAR
- Two to four or more years in a technical engineering role
- Experience with multilayer ceramic manufacturing
- Associate or bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering or a related engineering discipline
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Supply Chain, Project Management, or a related field, or equivalent education and experience
- Minimum of five years of project management, program management, operations, engineering, customer program, or related experience in a manufacturing or technical environment
- PMP, Lean Six Sigma, APQP, or similar certification
What We Do
Fralock designs, develops and manufactures engineered solutions for High Reliability applications. We serve technically advanced OEM's in the Aerospace, Defense, Electronics, Energy, Industrial, Life Science, Medical, Satellite, and Semiconductor Equipment markets. Fralock manufactures CIRLEX® an all-polyimide sheet material, Adhesiveless Laminates, All-Polyimide Laminates, Flexible & Rigid Flex Circuits, Engineered Technical Ceramics, and Specialty Engineered Laminates AS9100D, ISO13485-2016, ISO9001-2015, ITAR compliant, FDA registered ***CIRLEX® is a registered trademark of DUPONT used under license by FRALOCK.
