---
title: 'Senior Technical Project Manager, Sensors at HRL Laboratories'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-project-manager-sensors-hrl-laboratories-malibu-a6ecev2ye7kg'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Senior Technical Project Manager, Sensors at HRL Laboratories

- **Company:** HRL Laboratories
- **Location:** Malibu, CA
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/dodmg/4ceb9d90-64a2-49ce-a9d6-6eac54effb3f

## Job description

HRL Laboratories, an IBM company, pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways. As a private company owned by IBM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art. HRL Laboratories advances critical structural and functional materials and semiconductor devices that enable precision navigation, quantum technologies and extreme-environment performance. With expertise from design through deployment, we deliver scalable, high-performance solutions that transform our customers’ missions. Our work leverages digital manufacturing and scalable microfabrication techniques to meet tomorrow’s toughest challenges.

Position Summary:

The HRL Materials and Microsystems Laboratory (MML) is seeking a motivated and agile senior technical project manager to support the technical teams in executing rapid-paced, transformative technology development projects in the areas of sensors and advanced materials. The role with partner with project principal investigators (PIs) and help ensure successful project execution through support and management of program bid/proposal stages, project planning, and team and subcontractor performance.

Key Responsibilities:

- Strategic planning, scheduling, and management of multi-phase development projects that rapidly mature and deploy new technologies
- Plan and advocate as required for resources (personnel, equipment, space, etc.)
- Effectively communicate cost and schedule risk to customers, PIs, and laboratory leadership
- Provide programmatic, financial and technical reporting to customers and internal stakeholders
- Proactively engage project teams on execution progress, strategic planning and development and implementation risk management plans
- Provide recommendations to senior management for opportunities to improve execution
- Prioritize workflows and staffing allocations to maximize project innovation and rate of technology maturation

Required Qualifications:

- BS, MS, or PhD in a science or engineering field
- 8+ years of project management, ideally with an emphasis on early to mid-stage research and development (R&D), product development (PD) and government funded contract research and development projects
- Experience with project execution: including but not limited to contracting, sub-contracting, supplier management, finance, purchasing, and legal
- Ability to dynamically re-plan projects and communicate changes as new information and results are acquired and resulting from changes to constraints in resources including staffing, procurements, and financials
- A broad technical background in the fundamental aspects of science and engineering is required.  Technical familiarity with microfabrication process flows for electronic components including MEMS is highly desirable
- Costing and scheduling skills include the ability to produce and maintain a networked and resourced master integrated schedule (IMS), critical path analysis, earned value analysis, and presentation of MIS to customers and leadership desirable
- Expertise in MS Project or equivalent, MS office suite
- Effective interpersonal skills to bridge the gap between technical and business functions
- Excellent oral and written communication, interaction with vendors/colleagues and willingness to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Special Requirements:

U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government security clearance

Compensation and Benefits:

- Pay Range: $172,900 - $221,600
- Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location (California). The range displayed on each job posting reflects the target range for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
- Benefits: HRL offers a generous and very competitive total compensation and benefits package. Our Regular/Full Time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K match, gym facilities, PTO, Sick time, upward mobility, and an exciting and challenging work environment.
- For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: https://www.hrl.com/careers/benefits

Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At HRL, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

If you would like more information about Equal Employment Opportunity as an applicant under the law, please go to Employees & Job Applicants | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission For our privacy policy please visit: www.hrl.com/privacy

## About HRL Laboratories

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: HRL Laboratories (formerly Hughes Research Laboratories) is a private R&D lab jointly owned by Boeing and General Motors that pioneers transformative technologies in physical and information science for aerospace, automotive, and defense applications.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Limited Liability Company, LLC) — owned by The Boeing Company and General Motors
- **Headquarters**: Malibu, California, USA (with additional campuses in Calabasas and Westlake Village, CA)
- **Founded**: 1948 (as Hughes Research Laboratories); restructured as an LLC in 1997
- **Founders**: Founded as the research arm of Hughes Aircraft Company (Howard Hughes); current entity formed by Boeing and GM

## Core Business
- **Primary Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Advanced Materials, Microelectronics, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Science, and Sensor Systems
- **Target Customers**: Boeing, General Motors (LLC Members), U.S. Government (DoD), and commercial customers requiring deep-tech R&D
- **Mission / Purpose**: To conduct basic and applied research that transitions into real-world applications, removing limitations and creating competitive advantage for its customers — prioritizing purpose over profit

## Products & Services
For each major offering:
- **Applied R&D Services**: Full-spectrum research from basic science through prototype development and transition to production for member companies and government clients.
- **Microfabrication & Semiconductor Fabrication**: Operates a 10,000-square-foot Class 10 cleanroom (ISO Class 4) for end-to-end production of integrated circuits, compound semiconductor devices, quantum devices, memristors, and photonic devices. DoD Trusted Foundry status.
- **Advanced Materials & Manufacturing**: Development of engineered structural and active materials, coatings, nanotechnologies, and metal additive manufacturing (3D printing of metals).
- **Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Systems**: Neuromorphic computing, brain-machine interfaces, graph machine learning, agentic AI, and automated knowledge extraction.
- **Sensors & Electronics**: Small/conformal antennas, RF technologies, optoelectronics for microwave signal distribution, and quantum information science.
- **Vision Systems**: Infrared systems, focal plane arrays, and advanced imaging technologies.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private LLC)
- **Key Metric**: Total Revenue not publicly disclosed; funded by Boeing and GM as member-owned R&D entity; government and commercial contracts
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: The Boeing Company (joint owner), General Motors (joint owner), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD Trusted Foundry)
- **Growth Signals**: Active hiring across multiple advanced technology centers; 250,000 sq. ft. of lab space; 70+ years of continuous operation with a rich patent portfolio; expanding in AI, quantum, and additive manufacturing domains

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unique Ownership Structure**: A private R&D lab jointly owned by two Fortune 500 companies (Boeing and GM) that prioritizes long-term research over quarterly profit — extremely rare in corporate R&D.
- **Deep Tech Portfolio & History**: 70+ years of breakthrough innovations (e.g., first working laser, key components for LCD displays, quantum cascade lasers) with a culture of cross-disciplinary discovery.
- **DoD Trusted Foundry**: One of the few facilities in the U.S. certified to fabricate secure microelectronics for defense applications, providing a major government contract moat.
- **World-Class Facilities**: 10,000 sq. ft. Class 10 cleanroom, 250,000 sq. ft. total lab space, and a multidisciplinary staff of world-class scientists and engineers across materials science, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and computer science.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current Priorities**: Expanding capabilities in agentic AI and graph machine learning, metal additive manufacturing (computational materials science), quantum information science, and advanced MEMS/process integration. Growing the workforce in intelligent systems, sensors & electronics, and vision systems.
- **Direction for Growth**: Transitioning more foundational research into real-world products for Boeing, GM, and government customers; strengthening the "AI + hardware" intersection; recruiting top-tier PhD-level talent across physics, materials, and computer science.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Mission**: A "small company atmosphere" with the resources of a major R&D lab. Employees conduct both basic and applied research in a collaborative technical environment committed to "producing the leading R&D in the world." [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers)
- **Work Location**: On-site roles primarily in Malibu, CA (overlooking the Pacific Ocean) and Calabasas, CA. Some hybrid options exist (e.g., Agentic AI role listed as Hybrid in Calabasas). [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers) and [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/dodmg)
- **Benefits & Perks**:
    - **Compensation**: Competitive salary; generous 401(k) with 100% match on first 4% + age-based employer contributions. [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
    - **Time Off**: 14 paid holidays per year (including year-end break); flexible PTO (up to 15 days after 1 year, up to 25 days after 10 years); 80 hours sick time granted on hire. [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
    - **Parental Leave**: 12 weeks fully paid parental leave. [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
    - **Education**: 100% tuition reimbursement for approved programs. [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
    - **Health**: Multiple medical plans (PPO, HMO, HDHP HSA), employer-paid vision and dental, HSA contributions, family planning support.
    - **Workplace**: On-site fitness centers (Lost Hills & Westlake), Malibu dining terrace with ocean views, ridesharing incentives, employee discounts, colloquia series with noted speakers. [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
- **Engineering/Research Culture**: Multidisciplinary teams working on cutting-edge problems in AI, quantum, materials, microelectronics, and sensors. Employees are expected to publish and patent, contributing to both basic science and applied engineering. Provides "unique career growth opportunities as a member of the research community serving our LLC Members, government and commercial customers." [hrl.com](https://hrl.com/careers)

## Sources
1. [HRL Laboratories Careers](https://hrl.com/careers)
2. [HRL Laboratories About](https://www.hrl.com/about)
3. [Current Openings at HRL](https://hrl.com/careers/current-openings)
4. [HRL Benefits](https://hrl.com/careers/benefits)
5. [HRL Job Listings (Lever)](https://jobs.lever.co/dodmg)

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