Principal / Sr Principal Manufacturing Engineer - 18298

United States-Alabama-HuntsvillePosted Jul 29, 2026

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking Principal / Sr Principal Manufacturing Engineer. This position will be located at the supplier site in Huntsville, AL.

*Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding .

What you’ll get to do:

This position will be supporting the SLCM-N Program. This team member will serve as the interface between the Engineering, Production and Supply Chain teams and assist in forecasting supplier-driven delays and cost impacts. This role will support Supplier Management Teams, Production Operations, and Design Engineering to provide technical expertise and representation of supplier manufacturing capabilities. This role will require a strong background in specific commodities and their associated manufacturing processes. The ability to objectively represent the voice of the supplier and assess their ability to meet internal stakeholder needs is required. This Position will also support Program/Division level Strategic Sourcing efforts by maintaining the Approved supplier list (ASL), supporting commodity management, and performing supplier capacity and capability assessments. The ideal candidate will also have excellent written/verbal communication skills, procurement/contracting experience, the ability to develop supplier development plans, and be versed in multiple engineering disciplines.

This position is based out of Elton, MD and may require travel to suppliers and NG partners when necessary. 25% travel anticipated as baseline.

Position Benefits

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

• 401k

• Educational Assistance

• Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

• Paid Time Off

• Health & Wellness Resources

• Employee Discounts

This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Basic Qualifications

• Principal Engineer: Bachelors in Science with 5 years, OR Masters with 3 years, OR PhD with 1 year.

• Sr Principal Engineer: Bachelors in Science with 8 years, OR Masters with 6 years, OR PhD with 4 years.

• Possess a strong background in one or more of the following commodities: metallic/composite structural assemblies, machined parts, non-metallics, metallic raw materials, electromechanical assemblies and PCBs, cables and harnesses, and construction for defense infrastructure.

• Strong understanding of one or more of the following manufacturing processes utilized in the aerospace/defense industries: welding, casting, forging, cable and harness production, VLSI, machining, additive manufacturing, and construction.

• Working Knowledge of Configuration and Change Management in contracts or engineering/design.

• Possess a minimum of 5 years of experience in an aerospace or military aviation Manufacturing Engineering role or similar role.

• Must be a US Citizen and have an active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with an ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business need.

Preferred Qualifications • Active DoD Top Secret Clearance. • Experience with cruise missiles. • Demonstrated knowledge of tooling, including tool selection, setup/qualification, preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting in a production environment. • Experienced in interfacing directly with suppliers and collaborating with Supplier Management Teams • Possess working level knowledge of Global Supply Chain concepts and FAR/DFAR requirements. • Request for Change or Information (RCI) disposition experience • Supported an Aerospace/defense program • Experience supporting contractual data deliverables (CDRLs) • Experience creating manufacturing plans and process instructions • Experienced in technical leadership and mentoring • Experienced in summarizing and explaining technical documentation, specifications and industry requirements to ensure compliance. • Excellent organizational, time-management, and interpersonal communication skills • Experience in driving supplier quality requirements such as AS9100, AS9102, and AS9103 and dimensional inspections. • Experience working cross-functionally with multi-disciplinary teams. • Experience influencing change across team boundaries • Strong background in Lean Six Sigma with continuous improvement and RCCA experience

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $123,400.00 - $185,000.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

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