R&D Project Manager
Role Overview
Kelluu is hiring an R&D Project Manager to establish and grow its Canadian operation in Ottawa.
The role leads Canadian development programs for autonomous airship technology across defence, commercial, and dual-use markets.
The position connects Canadian customers with engineering, software, production, and flight operations teams in Finland.
Key Skills for This Role
Full Job Posting
Role Overview
Kelluu is hiring an R&D Project Manager to establish and grow its Canadian operation in Ottawa.
The role leads Canadian development programs for autonomous airship technology across defence, commercial, and dual-use markets.
The position connects Canadian customers with engineering, software, production, and flight operations teams in Finland.
Core Responsibilities
- Coordinate multi-workstream programs covering hardware, software, systems engineering, and flight operations.
- Manage schedules, budgets, milestones, and reporting required by customer, government, and defence programs.
- Translate customer requirements into actionable engineering tasks and coordinate execution across teams.
- Build customer relationships, manage expectations, and provide clear program status updates.
- Coordinate Canadian work with engineering and production teams in Finland.
- Establish the Area X.O office and support local operational setup.
- Find and screen subcontractors and suppliers, conduct site visits, and scout locations for ground bases and future manufacturing.
- Help define the next phases of the Canadian operation, including future hiring needs.
Required Qualifications
- Experience running technical projects in engineering or R&D environments, as a project manager or engineer with project responsibility.
- Strong stakeholder management and independent primary-contact skills.
- Ability to translate customer requirements into engineering work and coordinate execution across teams.
- Technical background in aerospace, UAV, or similar complex systems.
- Experience with budgeting, scheduling, and reporting.
- Strong communication skills across international teams and time zones.
- Willingness to travel across Canada, to customer sites, and to Finland.
- Valid driver's licence.
- Fluency in English.
- Eligibility to obtain the relevant Canadian government security clearance.
Additional Qualifications
- Experience with airborne systems, defence projects, or dual-use technologies is advantageous.
- Knowledge of the Canadian defence ecosystem and procurement is advantageous.
- A local Canadian aerospace or defence supplier network is advantageous.
- Experience as an early hire in a new site or market is advantageous.
- Experience in high-growth or startup environments and working French are advantageous.
Compensation
- Base salary is CAD 110,000 to CAD 135,000 depending on experience.
Workplace and Travel
- The role is based in Ottawa at Area X.O with a hybrid setup.
- Travel to customer and candidate sites is expected, along with an extended early onboarding stay and regular trips to Finland.
Opportunity
- The successful candidate will be Kelluu's first employee in Canada and will have substantial ownership from the start.
- The role offers exposure to autonomous, hydrogen-powered airships and scope that expands with the Canadian operation.
About Kelluu
Kelluu is a Finnish Series A deep-tech company headquartered in Joensuu with offices in Helsinki, Tampere, and Ottawa.
The company develops autonomous airship and aerial-intelligence technology for national security, critical infrastructure, and environmental applications.
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