Krometheous's journey

Applied at Boeing for Project Manager (IPT Lead)

I'm currently an Electrical Engineer looking to move away from the manufacturing floor. I have an interview scheduled for a Project Manager (IPT Lead) role at Boeing in their space systems division. I'm 33 years old and have a degree in Electrical Engineering, with most of my career spent in manufacturing, operations, and production support. I've worked at companies like Lockheed, Medtronic, and I'm currently at Abbott. I've also faced layoffs in test roles from both Boeing and Raytheon. To be honest, I'm feeling burnt out on the manufacturing floor and lab environments. The physical restrictions of cleanrooms and the anxiety of potentially damaging expensive equipment are really weighing on me. I don't feel like I have the deep technical skills for R&D or Project Engineering roles, as I've mostly just executed tasks given to me rather than innovating solutions. The opportunity at Boeing involves managing schedules, running IPT reviews, tracking action items, and presenting updates to leadership. I do have some experience with this from my time at Lockheed, where I managed production bottlenecks and hosted IPT reviews, but I've never officially held the title of Project Manager. However, I have some hesitations. I'm trying to weigh whether the administrative stress of Project Management—like herding cats and dealing with delayed schedules—is better than the physical anxiety I experience in the lab. I have a strong need for structure and predictability, and I'm concerned that PM roles can be chaotic due to unpredictable human factors. Additionally, I have past trauma from being put on a PIP at Lockheed due to a supplier delay that was out of my control, which has left me wary of being held accountable for others' failures. I'm also considering a pivot into Systems Engineering, as it seems more structured and rule-based, but I don't currently have an interview lined up for that. I'm reaching out to see if anyone has made the transition from hands-on engineering to Project Management. Is the trade-off worth it for a desk job? Is it easier to leave work stress at the office compared to dealing with broken devices? Should I fully commit to preparing for the Boeing interview, or should I hold out for a Systems Engineering opportunity? Any advice on how to prepare for a non-technical interview would also be appreciated, as the recruiter hasn't been very helpful. I also have a hiring event with Northrop coming up on September 1st that could lead to other opportunities, and I'm waiting to hear back from a Boeing space test design role.