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Manager General Manufacturing – Level 1 (Value Stream Leader)

San Diego, California, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As an Aerospace Value Stream Leader – Level 2 located in San Diego, CA, you’ll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one.

The Aerospace Value Stream Leader is responsible for compliance from program kickoff through delivery. This position will be located in San Diego, CA. and will report into the Senior Manufacturing Manager Value Stream Leader.

This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Ownership of value stream execution from program/project kick-off through delivery.

  • Accountable for meeting or exceeding the safety, quality, delivery and cost expectations of internal and external customers within entire value stream.

  • Ensures plans are developed and executed to meet internal and external customer requirements in coordination with Master Scheduling.

  • Support Engineering and Business Support Functions (Finance, HR, etc.) to achieve product and site sharing of resources, tools, equipment, processes, etc.

  • Intense focus and ownership of employee development.  Ensure discipline and continuous improvement of all process standards.

  • Dotted-line responsibilities for all product value stream focused support functions (ME, QE, SCM, Process Centers)

Competencies

  • Customer Focus - Building strong internal and external customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions

  • Optimize Work Processes - Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement

  • Drives engagement - Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the Value Stream achieve its objectives

  • Leading, building and managing strong teams

  • Risk management (identification and mitigation)

  • Development of process standards focused on process center

Vision / Leadership

  • Execute strategies and tactics to achieve breakthrough objectives (Strategy Deployment) and financial goals (Orders, Sales, EBIT, Cash) via operational goals

  • Communicate, manage and achieve process center performance KPI’s

  • Create a culture of continuous improvement, teamwork, sharing, and disciplined root cause problem solving

  • Perform operational-based strategic and organizational planning

  • Position has several assembly technicians directly reporting

Execution

  • Ownership of value stream execution from program/project kick-off through delivery.

  • Accountable for meeting or exceeding the safety, quality, delivery and cost expectations of internal and external customers with entire assigned Value Stream.  Ensure plans are developed and executed to meet internal and external customer requirements.

  • Own, execute and continuously improve Daily Management (Gemba, Obeya, Stand-Ups, etc.) within Value Stream.

  • Manage multiple conflicting priorities among product value streams by collaborating with Master Scheduling and other upstream internal customers to ensure priority alignment.

  • Ensure financial operating integrity by supporting financial planning, budgeting and forecasting.

  • Support customer proposals by providing basis of estimates for labor and schedule durations.

  • Ensure that equipment and machinery are maintained to accordance with preventative maintenance schedules for each assigned area

  • Communicate/escalate key issues related to safety/security, quality, delivery, employee, cost etc. upward to site leadership and downward into the organization

Talent Management

  • Proactively strengthen the Value Stream teams through the performance management process (individual and group goal setting, coaching and personnel development).

  • Establish and maintain training requirements and deploy resources accordingly.

  • Ensure succession plans are in place and be proactive in mentoring key talent to assume increased responsibilities.

Compliance

  • Advocate a safe, secure and ethical working environment that maintains compliance with federal, state and local government regulations

  • Utilize and improve the Quality Management System to achieve compliance and maintain certifications for ASD9100 and NADCAP

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree with 5 years of experience in a Manufacturing environment and/or Project Management, Master's degree with 3 years of experience. An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.

  • Prior experience leading a team/process/project

  • Experience in Lean Applications

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

  • Strong experience with employee development

  • US Citizen

  • Experience developing and driving continuous improvement projects.

  • First Line Manager experience managing assemblers and test technicians

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills

  • Microsoft Office Suite

  

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experienced in Aerospace dealing with both government and commercial customers

  • TS/SCI clearance

If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, consider joining our team!

As a leader with integrity, you ensure ethical conduct, balanced results, and partner satisfaction. You respect and nurture growth, fostering a culture of excellence. Skilled in building collaborative teams and customer trust, you communicate well, foster strong teams, and embrace change.  

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards 

Primary Level Salary Range: $100,000.00 - $150,000.00

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.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States, building advanced systems across space, air, land, sea, and cyber domains. The company is known for some of the most complex defense programs in the world, including stealth aircraft, autonomous systems, missile defense technologies, satellites, and space-based intelligence platforms that support U.S. national security operations.

For job seekers, Northrop Grumman offers careers across a wide range of high-impact fields including aerospace engineering, software development, cybersecurity, systems engineering, manufacturing, program management, and intelligence support. The company is especially attractive to veterans, cleared professionals, and engineers who want to work on mission-critical systems that directly support the Department of Defense and intelligence community. Many roles involve long-term programs with significant technical depth and real-world operational impact.

Unlike smaller defense startups focused on narrow capabilities, Northrop Grumman operates across multiple major mission areas, giving employees exposure to highly advanced programs such as stealth platforms, space systems, autonomous vehicles, and next-generation command-and-control systems. The company is also a major leader in classified space and intelligence systems, where cutting-edge engineering and secure infrastructure play a critical role in national defense.

As global competition in space, cyber, and advanced military systems continues to intensify, Northrop Grumman remains one of the most strategically important employers in the defense industry. For professionals seeking stable, highly technical careers with long-term impact on national security, Northrop Grumman continues to stand out as a leading destination in aerospace and defense.

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