Project Manager III - Unit Boss

Description

Who We Are

Founded in 1995, Vigor Marine Group is an established, innovative and integrated partner with a national footprint in the marine maintenance and modernization, marine fabrication and marine services. Evolving over decades from a collection of the best-in-class companies with unique and complementary capabilities on the East and West coasts, our spirit of innovation and legacy of performance make Vigor Marine Group a preferred, full-service prime contractor in the defense and maritime sectors. Today we offer advanced services and complete solutions for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Military Sealift Command, state ferry systems, the cruise industry, the commercial fishing industry and more.

With four shipyards for maintenance and modernization and one for fabrication, including the largest floating dry dock in the western hemisphere, our more than 2,500 dedicated employees across four states – from the Pacific Northwest to San Diego to Norfolk – personify the values of our company. Vigor Marine Group takes pride in being the employer of choice for our employees, who in turn take great pride in their contributions to the communities where they live and work, and to their nation – through their living wage jobs supporting their local economies, and through the world-class maritime and industrial services they provide to further our defense readiness and national security.

Where we are – Marine Fabrication

Vancouver, Washington is surrounded by forests, rivers, and mountains and is a top destination for outdoor lovers. It has a mild climate with four seasons. Its mild winters and warm summers make it an attractive city in the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver is a more affordable city than its neighbors, Portland and Seattle and has no state income tax. It is a vibrant city full of restaurants, shops and parks, and is known for its walkability, historic charm and family friendly neighborhoods. Vancouver has garnered many awards including Livability’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live in the US in 2025 and 2023” and Niche’s 2025 rankings include Vancouver on several lists including Best City for Outdoor Activities, a Healthiest Place to Live in America and several others. Healthcare is the city’s largest employer, followed by manufacturing and technology. Washinton State does not impose a state income tax.

PAY RANGE: $129,000 - 148,000 

POSITION SUMMARY:   

This is a senior project-leadership role with end-to-end accountability for delivery of a major vessel unit within the high-visibility Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) U.S. defense program. Reporting directly to the MSV(L) Program Manager, the Unit Boss has significant autonomy to shape execution, lead a multidisciplinary team and directly influence safety, quality, technical performance, cost and schedule from planning and design maturity through fabrication, outfitting, testing, completion and turnover.

Four Unit Bosses work as peers, each accountable for one or more assigned units that together comprise the complete watercraft. Within that team, each Unit Boss serves as the project manager and single point of accountability for the assigned unit outcome. The role integrates Planning and Integration, Engineering, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Configuration and Data Management, Test, Finance and program controls into one executable plan and provides senior leaders with accurate, decision-ready status.

WHY THIS ROLE:             

• Own a major portion of the MSV(L) product from authorized scope through integration-ready turnover, with clear accountability for the outcome.
• Exercise meaningful autonomy over execution priorities, delegated budget, recovery actions and cross-functional alignment within approved program governance.
• Directly influence the cost, schedule and delivery performance of a nationally significant U.S. defense shipbuilding program.
• Lead a high-performing matrix team across engineering, planning, production, quality, supply chain, test and program controls.
• Gain regular visibility with the MSV(L) Program Manager, company leadership, the customer and other senior stakeholders through program, readiness and performance reviews.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:            

End-to-End Unit Leadership

• Serve as the accountable project leader for the assigned vessel unit or units and deliver a complete, compliant and integration-ready product within authorized safety, quality, technical, cost and schedule objectives. Delivery completion extends to test and trials.
• Translate and verify contract requirements and program priorities into an integrated unit execution plan with defined scope, milestones, interfaces, acceptance criteria, resource needs, decision dates and accountable owners.
• Lead the unit operating cadence, set priorities, make timely decisions within delegated authority and drive issues and corrective actions to verified closure.
• Coordinate with the other Unit Bosses to manage shared interfaces, sequence work and protect the performance of the complete watercraft.

Integrated Technical, Planning and Production Execution

• Integrate Engineering, Planning, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Test and Configuration activities so the unit is built to the approved technical baseline and aligned with the vessel-build sequence.
• Maintain an executable integrated schedule and ensure work packages, material and kit readiness, labor, tooling, access, inspections and test prerequisites support planned execution.

Cost, Schedule and Performance Accountability

• Control delegated unit budget allocations and maintain defensible Estimate to Complete (ETC) and Estimate at Completion (EAC) forecasts with the Project Controller, Control Account Managers (CAM) and contributing functions.
• Protect the integrity of the unit's Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) by aligning authorized scope, schedule, resources, time-phased budget and objective earned-value methods.
• Review cost, schedule, earned progress, commitments, forecast hours, material and subcontract exposure and remaining work; identify adverse trends early and lead credible recovery plans.
• Ensure status and forecasts are supported by objective evidence and that baseline changes follow approved change-control processes.

Risk, Change and Delivery Readiness

• Own an integrated unit risk and opportunity view covering technical, production, material, supplier, safety, quality, test, cost, schedule and interface conditions.
• Evaluate proposed and emergent changes for unit and vessel impact before commitment and ensure approved changes are incorporated into technical data, schedule, budget, work authorization and configuration records.

JOB SCOPE:      

This is a full-time, exempt senior project-management position reporting directly to the MSV(L) Program Manager. The Unit Boss exercises delegated authority over integrated unit planning, execution priorities, budget allocation, performance reviews, corrective actions, recovery recommendations 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:    

• Deep expertise in every area below is not required; however, candidates must have sufficient familiarity to ask the right questions, understand dependencies, evaluate status and make sound integrated decisions.
• Senior-level project-management capability spanning technical scope, production, cost, schedule, safety, quality, test, risk, change and stakeholder management.
• Working knowledge of maritime vessel development and construction, including design maturity, fabrication, outfitting, system integration, configuration control, testing, completion and turnover.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary matrix teams through influence, clear priorities, accountability and disciplined follow-through.
• Strong program controls acumen, including budget allocations, ETC/EAC forecasting, integrated scheduling, PMB maintenance, earned value, variance analysis and corrective-action planning.
• Ability to integrate the technical baseline, Integrated Master Schedule, production and material plans, quality and test requirements, risks and budgets into one executable unit plan.
• Strong analytical judgment and the ability to challenge unsupported status, optimistic assumptions and incomplete explanations while maintaining productive working relationships.
• Excellent written, verbal, negotiation, facilitation and executive-briefing skills, including the ability to communicate difficult performance information clearly and constructively.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and the ability to work effectively with scheduling, earned-value, enterprise resource-planning and project-control systems and to interpret contracts, drawings, specifications, bills of material, budgets and performance data.
• Ability and willingness to work full time and onsite in Vancouver, Washington, including extended or irregular hours when required by unit and program priorities.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:          

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible project, program, production or engineering management experience in shipbuilding, boatbuilding, maritime systems development or a closely related complex defense or manufacturing environment.
• A bachelor's degree in engineering, naval architecture, marine engineering, engineering technology, project or program management, business, operations, construction management or a related discipline. Significant directly relevant experience may substitute for formal education, subject to contract and company requirements.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex product or project scope across technical, cost, schedule, production, quality and risk dimensions.
• Experience leading matrixed teams and integrating Engineering, Planning, Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Configuration, Test, Finance and program-control contributors.
• Experience establishing and maintaining integrated plans and forecasts, including credible schedule status, remaining-work estimates and cost-at-completion projections.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing maritime-vessel scope for the U.S. Department of War.
• Hands-on experience with Control Account Management, Earned Value Management, PMB development and baseline change control on a U.S. Government program.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Earned Value Professional, Planning and Scheduling Professional, Risk Management Professional, Lean, Six Sigma or a comparable credential.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:          

No permanent direct reports are currently assigned. The Unit Boss leads a cross-functional matrix team and establishes project direction, priorities, integrated commitments, performance expectations and action follow-up. Functional leaders retain personnel-management authority.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The role requires regular computer work and frequent walking, standing, climbing stairs and ladders, bending, reaching and moving through offices, fabrication shops, warehouses, staging areas, docks and vessels under construction. The employee must be able to inspect work and material conditions, communicate in noisy environments and wear required personal protective equipment. Access to confined or restricted production spaces may be required consistent with training and authorization.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed in offices, active marine fabrication facilities, warehouses, onboard vessels under construction and at docks. Conditions may include noise, welding and hot-work activity, moving equipment, energized systems, uneven surfaces, weather, variable temperatures and other industrial exposures. The position requires frequent presence in production areas and may require extended or irregular hours to support critical work, testing, schedule recovery and program commitments.

CITIZENSHIP:

Pursuant to a government contract, this specific position requires US citizenship. 

The employee must be able to obtain and continuously hold a U.S. Government security clearance at the level required by assigned work. Vigor Industrial LLC and its wholly owned subsidiaries are drug, smoke and vape-free workplaces. Prospective employees must pass a drug and alcohol test and background check as pre-employment screening.

Vigor Values

Vigor expects all employees to enhance the atmosphere in which they work by living the Vigor Values every day.

Truth: We seek the truth, and we speak the truth
Responsibility: We act on what we know is right
Evolution: We seek mastery, and adapt to a changing world
Love: We care about the people we work with, and the world we live in

At Vigor we offer a generous benefits package that includes: 

Vigor and its wholly owned subsidiaries are committed to inclusion and diversity by providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veterans, age, genetics, the presence of a physical or mental condition or disability that can be reasonably accommodated, or any other protected class under relevant laws in the locations we operate. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and can be requested with Vigor’s Human Resources Department.

In addition to federal law requirements, Vigor complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination and non-retaliation in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, benefits, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.