The Senior Engineering Project Manager (Sr. EPM) owns the planning, execution, and closing of complex engineering projects while also serving as a lead engineer within the project engineering team. This role combines advanced project management with strong technical leadership to drive system architecture, key design decisions, and technical risk management across multidisciplinary teams.
Acting as the technical authority for assigned projects, the Sr. EPM sets technical direction and guides engineering decisions across disciplines while ensuring deliverables are completed on time, within budget, and to the quality standards our customers expect. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who is ready to lead both the technical and delivery aspects of ambitious, mission-critical work.
- Drive the engineering and technical aspects of projects from pre-construction through completion, serving as the technical lead across disciplines.
- Define and refine technical scope, system architecture, and system-level requirements in partnership with customers, engineering, and program management.
- Proactively identify technical risks and failure modes; develop mitigation plans and adjust approach as conditions evolve.
- Develop and contribute to detailed project plans covering timelines, budgets, and resource allocation.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams and monitor day-to-day project activities against plan.
- Track progress against milestones; identify, escalate, and resolve technical, schedule, and coordination risks.
- Maintain project documentation, including schedules, Azure DevOps records, status reports, change requests, and meeting minutes.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders, representing technical status, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership and customers.
- Facilitate clear, consistent communication within the team and across departments.
- Ensure engineering work meets technical specifications, industry standards, and customer requirements.
- Collaborate with QA/QC teams on testing and validation plans and conduct milestone reviews, including design reviews and bench testing.
- Mentor and coach engineers and EPMs on technical practices, company standards, and project delivery.
- Support project closeout, customer handover, post-project reviews, and document archiving.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field.
Experience
- 3–5 years of overall engineering experience in a relevant industry.
- 2–3 years leading engineering projects or major workstreams with responsibility for both technical outcomes and project delivery.
- Proven track record as a lead engineer, technical lead, or system owner on complex, multidisciplinary projects.
- Experience interfacing directly with customers and leadership on technical scope, trade-offs, and risk decisions.
Skills & Capabilities
- Deep proficiency in at least one engineering discipline relevant to Critical Technologies scope (SCADA, PLC/DDC programming, HVAC/controls, OT networking, or similar), with the ability to understand and challenge designs across adjacent disciplines.
- Ability to define technical scope and architecture, review and approve core engineering deliverables, and lead design reviews and bench testing.
- Familiarity with relevant industry standards, regulatory requirements, and engineering best practices.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through the full project lifecycle: estimation, design, implementation, verification and validation, and handover.
- Ability to balance technical depth with schedule, cost, and quality constraints, and to make informed trade-off decisions.
- Experience aligning project financials with organizational goals in partnership with program management.
- Proven ability to mentor and coach engineers and EPMs on technical, organizational, and project practices.
- Comfortable representing project technical status, risks, and recommendations to senior leadership and customers.
- Demonstrated leadership on complex, ambiguous problems to drive clarity and decisions across stakeholders.
- Strong communication skills; able to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
- Meaningful, mission-driven work within our Critical Technologies department.
- The opportunity to serve as both technical authority and delivery owner on complex engineering projects.
- A collaborative, multidisciplinary environment alongside senior engineers, program managers, and customers.
- Clear pathways for continued growth into principal engineering and program leadership roles.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field
- 3–5 years of overall engineering experience in a relevant industry
- 2–3 years leading engineering projects or major workstreams
- Experience as a lead engineer, technical lead, or system owner on complex multidisciplinary projects
- Experience interfacing directly with customers and leadership on technical scope, trade-offs, and risk decisions
- Deep proficiency in at least one relevant engineering discipline, such as SCADA, PLC/DDC programming, HVAC/controls, or OT networking
- Ability to define technical scope and architecture, review engineering deliverables, and lead design reviews and bench testing
- Familiarity with relevant industry standards, regulatory requirements, and engineering best practices
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through estimation, design, implementation, verification and validation, and handover
- Ability to balance technical, schedule, cost, and quality constraints and make trade-off decisions
- Experience aligning project financials with organizational goals
- Ability to mentor and coach engineers and engineering project managers
- Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
What We Do
Since 1947, Hoffman & Hoffman, Inc. has served the Carolinas and Virginia in the selection and application of commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, filtration and direct digital control (DDC) systems. In Fall 2009, Hoffman & Hoffman, Inc. opened branch offices in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hoffman & Hoffman represents manufacturers of the highest quality HVAC equipment and controls available on the market today. Through one of our (14) fourteen regional branch offices, our professional sales engineers can assist you in most commercial/industrial HVAC and filtration projects. We employ Certified Energy Managers (CEM), LEED accredited professionals and professional sales engineers dedicated to meeting the heating, filtration, ventilation and air conditioning needs of engineers, owners and contractors. Delivering engineered, flexible, economical and environmentally responsible solutions for commercial, industrial and institutional heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration requirements is our top priority.
