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Sr. Principal Process Engineer

Plymouth, Minnesota, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% 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 is currently seeking an experienced Senior Principal Process Engineer to provide manufacturing and process engineering technical expertise and project management for our large caliber ammunition (LCA) production programs in our Plymouth, MN offices. This position is focused on providing technical leadership in the manufacturing of large caliber cartridges and ammunition propulsion systems and supports the ammunition business segment at Armament Systems Division.

This career opportunity is a great fit for a self-motivated, proactive individual who wants to plan and run projects for the Northrop Grumman LCA production team. Our engineers work in a high exposure, fast paced, and exciting environment that involves hands-on technical challenges, problem solving, and inter-department collaborations. The candidate will apply strong engineering fundamentals, demonstrate clear communication with those they interact with, and must be able to support up to 25% of domestic travel for the duration of the program. If you thrive on attention to detail and want different challenges each day, this is the place for you.

Position Description

  • This position reports to the LCA engineering manager and is responsible for providing technical leadership, engineering oversight and support on LCA production programs.

  • Development and oversight of production processes for production at Plymouth, other Northrop Grumman locations and subcontractors, focusing on 120mm and 105mm cartridges and ammunition propulsion systems.

  • Provide manufacturing engineering project management and leadership.

  • Support and/or lead failure investigations, root cause determination, and corrective action implementation.

  • Communicating issues and status frequently and effectively both verbally and in writing.

  • Engineering oversight and interpretation of acceptance and qualification testing results of ammunition materials and components.

  • Contribute to completion of specific program and project milestones.

  • Represent Northrop Grumman to our customers and suppliers.

  • Travel (approximately 25%) domestically to customers and suppliers representing Northrop Grumman’s program and business interests.

  • Conceptualize and implement continuous improvement projects internally and with suppliers.

  • Implement and manage strong manufacturing engineering principles to ensure robust production process and high product quality. Examples are SPC, PFMEA, mistake proofing, gauge R&R, production readiness reviews, equipment and gage qualifications, capacity analysis, value stream mapping, and first article inspections.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree plus 8 years of experience, a Master’s degree plus 6 years of experience, or a PhD plus 4 years of experience.

  • Engineering experience supporting a production line environment.

  • Experience working with customer engineering, vendors, and subcontractors.

  • Proven partnership/collaboration skills and ability to partner with cross disciplines within a team.

  • Exceptional communication skills (verbal, written, presentation) across all levels of the organization.

  • Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

  • Ability to travel

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

  • Must be U.S. Citizen.

Preferred Qualifications

  • M.S. Engineering degree from an accredited university

  • Experience with leading teams

  • Supporting failure analysis within an 8D framework

  • Experience with energetics and ballistic testing

  • Experience with managing cost and schedule

  • Experience working in the defense industry and/or with U.S. Government contracts

  • Experience writing statements of work and estimating project scope

Primary 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.

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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