1

Contract Engineering Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Engineering Manager III

San Diego, CA · On-site

$125K - $229K/yr

... contract(s). * Team with Program/Project/Proposal Management and Design Engineering to build ... consensus-driven solutions and execution plans for new and existing programs. * Coordinate all ...

Engineering Manager

Carlsbad, CA

$80K - $90K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

An Engineering Manager maintains high morale for engineering; teach engineering staff how to ... contracts. · Constantly. Assist in establishing, implementing, maintaining preventative ...

Engineering Manager IV

San Diego, CA · On-site

$140K - $257K/yr

Participate in and support input for contract negotiations and contract modifications ... management and technical problems; serve as spokesperson on engineering projects; and be a ...

Engineering Manager III

San Diego, CA · On-site

$125K - $229K/yr

... contract(s). * Team with Program/Project/Proposal Management and Design Engineering to build ... consensus-driven solutions and execution plans for new and existing programs. * Coordinate all ...

Engineering Manager III

San Diego, CA · On-site

$125K - $229K/yr

... of contract(s). * Develop and manage statement of work (SOW) and the requirements for ... Identify engineering issues and provide leadership with developed solutions such as re-allocation ...

CMTA is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead and grow our Mechanical Department in our ... Understand commercial/contract terms and negotiation strategy for providing integrated design ...

Software Engineering Manager

Irvine, CA · On-site

$140 - $190/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Software Engineering Manager Reports to: Director, Software Engineering FLSA Status: Exempt About ... Foster sound handling of regulated data (PHI, partner contracts) and a culture of security and ...

Engineering Manager II

Poway, CA · On-site

$100K - $183K/yr

Manages all phases of assigned engineering project(s) from inception through completion ... conditions of contract(s). * Ensure technical leadership and excellence is maintained by ...

New

Engineering Manager III

San Diego, CA · On-site

$130K - $167K/yr

We have an exciting opportunity for an Electrical Engineering (EE) Manager to join our Electrical ... Represent the company as a prime technical contact on contracts and/or projects and interact with ...

Mechanical Engineering Manager

Lafayette, CA · On-site

$150K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

CMTA is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Manager to lead and grow our Mechanical Department in our ... Understand commercial/contract terms and negotiation strategy for providing integrated design ...

Engineering Manager III

San Diego, CA · On-site

$125K - $229K/yr

We have an exciting opportunity for an Electrical Engineering (EE) Manager to join our Electrical ... Represent the company as a prime technical contact on contracts and/or projects and interact with ...

Applications Engineering Manager

Brea, CA

$160K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Support proposal development, bid reviews, technical presentations, and contract negotiations. * Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and project management teams to ensure the ...

Showing results 21-40

Contract Engineering Manager information

What is a contract engineering manager?

A Contract Engineering Manager is a professional hired on a temporary or project-specific basis to oversee engineering teams and manage technical projects. Unlike permanent managers, contract engineering managers typically work for a set duration or until the completion of a particular project. Their responsibilities include coordinating engineering efforts, ensuring project deadlines are met, managing budgets, and facilitating communication between team members and stakeholders. Companies may hire contract engineering managers to provide specialized expertise or to fill temporary leadership gaps. This role requires strong technical knowledge, leadership skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to different work environments.

What is the difference between Contract Engineering Manager vs Project Engineer?

AspectContract Engineering ManagerProject Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's in Engineering, PMP or similar certifications often preferredBachelor's or Master's in Engineering or related field
Work EnvironmentOversees multiple projects, manages contracts, liaises with clients and vendorsFocuses on specific projects, coordinates engineering tasks, reports to project managers
Industry UsageCommon in construction, manufacturing, energy sectorsWidely used across engineering disciplines in various industries

The Contract Engineering Manager typically oversees multiple projects, manages contractual aspects, and liaises with clients, requiring leadership and contractual knowledge. The Project Engineer focuses on executing specific engineering tasks within a project, emphasizing technical skills and project coordination. While both roles require engineering credentials, the Contract Engineering Manager has a broader managerial and contractual scope compared to the more technical and project-specific Project Engineer.

What are some common challenges faced by a contract engineering manager, and how can they be addressed?

As a Contract Engineering Manager, one common challenge is integrating quickly with existing teams and understanding project context within a limited timeframe. Since contract roles often involve leading established engineering teams on short notice, building trust and aligning on goals efficiently is crucial. Effective communication, setting clear expectations, and leveraging strong project management skills help ensure smooth collaboration. Proactively identifying knowledge gaps and seeking input from team members can also accelerate onboarding and project delivery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract engineering manager?

To thrive as a Contract Engineering Manager, you need a solid background in engineering principles, project management, and team leadership, usually backed by a relevant degree and significant industry experience. Familiarity with project management tools (like Jira or Trello), engineering software, and often certifications such as PMP or Agile methodologies are highly valued. Strong communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills help you manage diverse teams and client relationships effectively. These competencies are crucial for delivering projects on time, within budget, and to client specifications in a dynamic contract-based environment.

What are the most commonly searched types of Engineering Manager jobs in California?

The most popular types of Engineering Manager jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Contract Engineering Manager jobs in California?

For Contract Engineering Manager jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Contract Engineering Manager jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Contract Engineering Manager jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Contract Engineering Manager jobs?

Cities in California with the most Contract Engineering Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Contract Engineering Manager job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Engineering Manager III

General Atomics

San Diego, CA • On-site

$125K - $229K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 25 days ago


General Atomics rating

9.0

Company rating: 9.0 out of 10

Based on 39 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

11th of 72 rated aerospace companies


Job description

Job Summary
General Atomics (GA), and its affiliated companies, is one of the world's leading resources for high-technology systems development ranging from the nuclear fuel cycle to remotely piloted aircraft, airborne sensors, and advanced electric, electronic, wireless and laser technologies.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) designs and manufactures first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS' expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions support critical fleet, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and process and monitoring applications for defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide.
We currently have an exciting opportunity in our Systems Engineering Integration department for a full-time System Safety and Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) Engineering Manager to join our team located in San Diego, CA
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Planning and Collaboration
  • Participate in the preparation of proposals, business plans, proposal work statements and specifications, operating budgets and financial terms/conditions of contract(s).
  • Team with Program/Project/Proposal Management and Design Engineering to build consensus-driven solutions and execution plans for new and existing programs.
  • Coordinate all engineering work, assignments, and inputs to support the project Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and budget aligned with the Project Management Plan (PMP) for multiple business areas.
  • Assign individual contributors and leads to projects and ensures appropriate processes and practices are followed.
  • Assist in the management and execution of project plans, in concert with project leadership.
  • Partner with business leaders, and control account managers to keep engineering manpower forecasts up to date.
  • Own engineering scope, budget, schedule, and performance to meet program objectives.
  • Partner closely with program leadership to proactively plan, resource, and level-load work, resolving resource constraints and keeping projects on track.
Execution and Coordination
  • Provide direct program support in the role of a Lead reliability, availability and maintainability Engineer, Safety Engineer, or as an Individual Contributor to support program timelines and deliverables across various systems, throughout the design, development, integration, and test phases of the product life-cycle.
  • Help define and shape the roles, responsibilities, and core processes for growing RAM and Safety teams.
  • Drive day-to-day task prioritization to meet schedule and program needs while overseeing and ensuring the quality of work produced by the team.
  • Supervise and ensure staff execution to conform to cost, schedule, production, and performance commitments.
  • Leads the engineering team to common objectives, clearly communicates the status of efforts, identify/resolve issues, and manages to cost/schedule.
  • Own the execution and proper implementation of RAM and Safety processes across design, development, integration, test and performance verification.
  • Manages resource needs and leads RAM and Safety activities across multiple programs, as well as from the extended engineering organization when surge support is necessary to support schedule.
  • Provide leadership and direct all activities of the group including planning and managing technical performance to ensure quality, business and financial objectives are attained.
Status and Communication
  • Regularly gather status from engineering team and provides the status and updates to the Engineering Management and Senior Leadership.
  • Represents the engineering functional organization to Project Management providing status, coordination, and collaboration in achieving project objectives and timelines.
  • Represent specific project team's efforts to the engineering functional organization and Project Managers.
Growth and Continual Improvement
  • Identify and implement process improvements centered on company RAM and Safety processes, product lifecycle best practices, and functional manager best practices.
  • Ensure technical leadership and excellence is maintained by participating in the planning, attraction, selection, retention, and development of the required technical talent.
  • Participate in the preparation of proposals, business plans, proposal work statements and specifications, operating budgets, and financial terms/conditions of contract(s).
  • Responsible for ensuring all laws, regulations and other applicable obligations are observed wherever and whenever business is conducted on behalf of the Company.
  • Responsible for ensuring work is accomplished in a safe manner in accordance with established operating procedures and practices.
We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.
Job Qualifications
  • Typically requires a Bachelors, Masters or PhD in engineering or a related technical field as well as eleven or more years of progressively complex engineering experience. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
  • Proven safety and reliability, availability and maintainability engineering leader with substantial experience in safety, reliability, availability and maintainability, leading engineering teams on development programs for complex, mission-critical systems.
  • Experienced engineering leader capable of guiding teams through development, assembly, integration and testing of high-tech systems including verification and validation activities and creation of safety engineering, RAM (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability), and Safety artifacts for development systems.
  • Experienced in leading teams through the preparation and execution of program milestone reviews such as system requirements review (SRR), system functional review (SFR), preliminary & critical design review (PDR, CDR), test readiness review (TRR), and customer acceptance review (AR).
  • Demonstrates an extensive technical expertise and application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice as well as project management and leadership skills including organizing, planning, scheduling, and coordinating workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones.
  • Must demonstrate the ability to resolve managerial, technical, and interpersonal challenges.
  • Knowledgeable and experienced with application of RAM and Safety engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice across the full product lifecycle (concept, design, integration, test, deployment, and sustainment).
  • Strong communication, leadership, presentation, and interpersonal skills are required to enable an effective interface with other departments, all levels of management, professional and support staff, customers, potential customers, and government representatives.
  • Customer focused, must be able to work on a self-initiated basis and in a team environment, and able to work extended hours and travel as required.
  • A Professional Engineering License, and original work(s) published in professional engineering journals are desirable.
  • The ability to obtain and maintain a top-secret DOD or DOE-Q clearance is required
DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
  • Experience applying MIL-STD-882E and related industry standards for system safety and RAM on development and qualification programs.
  • Requires strong skills in management, project management, leadership, communication, RAM, Safety, and engineering technical disciplines.
  • Education and/or work experience in firmware and software engineering development.
  • Broad, multi-disciplinary technical expertise and a history of applying of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice
  • Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary, product-oriented engineering teams.
  • Demonstrated success in aligning procedure and processes to improve team throughput and visibility.
  • Experience writing technical documents and computer literate with versatile knowledge of the computer applications and MRP systems used in the industry (MS Word, Excel, Access, Project, SAP, Windchill, etc.).
  • Demonstrated knowledge and implementation of best practices to help transitions from design development to sustainment.
  • Expertise or significant experience in safety engineering, industrial process engineering, nuclear engineering, or mechanical engineering
  • Experience with GA-relevant domains such as laser systems, nuclear systems, space payloads, catapult and arrested gear systems, or other complex defense systems.
  • Demonstrated knowledge and implementation of best practices for transitioning systems from development into production and sustainment, including maintainability and supportability considerations.
  • Certifications or formal training in system safety or reliability engineering.
  • Existing Security Clearance preferred (DOE-Q or DOD -Secret).

What General Atomics employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


General Atomics logo

About General Atomics

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

General Atomics (GA), and its affiliated companies, is one of the world's leading resources for high-technology systems development ranging from the nuclear fuel cycle to remotely piloted aircraft, airborne sensors, and advanced electric, electronic, wireless and laser technologies.

Industry

Space research administration

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

San Diego, CA, US

Year founded

1955