Principal or Sr. Principal Production Engineer

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 Principal or Sr. Principal Production Engineer to provide support to our Armament Systems Business Unit team in our Plymouth, MN offices.

Position Description

This position provides multifunctional engineering guidance and support for development, manufacturing, and testing of medium caliber ammunition.  In general, as a member of an integrated product team, this individual will be providing engineering support and work direction to distributed manufacturing and test locations, investigating, and solving design and manufacturing issues, developing, and documenting manufacturing processes, coordinating efforts between internal functional groups, supporting manufacturing and ammunition testing, supporting communications with our customers, and providing support and oversight to material suppliers.

Typical Duties (Including but not limited to)

• Provide design and production engineering support for the development of new and modification/optimization of existing medium caliber ammunition products

• Provide work direction and engineering support to our distributed manufacturing and test locations with responsibilities to:

  • Assist in the resolution of complex manufacturing line process issues such as machining, metal finishing, painting, heat treating, electrical and/or mechanical assembly, and test

  • Research and evaluate commercially available tools and equipment to support manufacturing activities. Design and procure specialized tooling and fixtures.

  • Develop new, and improve existing manufacturing processes

  • Develop task releases and introduce into the manufacturing system

  • Prepare for and support various engineering reviews including Build Readiness Reviews and Production Readiness Reviews

  • Create test requests and support test readiness reviews

• Coordinate manufacturing efforts between internal functional disciplines including Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing, and Test.

• Work with the program team on design and manufacturability issues including root cause analysis and corrective actions on processes and products for both internal and external sources

• As the responsible agent for the product Technical Data Package (TDP), support the creation and release of Engineering Changes (concept through final release).

• Provide Engineering disposition on tooling and gauge changes from internal and external sources

• Provide Engineering disposition on non-conforming product from internal and external sources

• Provide Engineering approval on proposed process changes from internal and external sources

• Ownership of the creation, review, and maintenance of all necessary documentation required for new and existing manufacturing programs.

  • Manufacturing work instructions

  • Manufacturing bills of material and build lists

  • TDP reviews for correctness and completeness

  • Ensure appropriate documentation is in Configuration Management system

• Assist in the preparation of engineering and program proposals

• Assist in the preparation of and participate in customer meetings and program reviews

• Travel up to about 25% of the time.

Minimum Experience and Skills

Principal Production Engineer:

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and minimum of 5 years or MS in Engineering discipline and 3 years’ experience in design and manufacturing environment relevant to the Typical Duties listed above.

• Ability to guide successful completion of significant projects and provide work direction, mentoring, and coordination of other technical team members as needed.

• Significant experience working and communicating with customers, program management, and engineering management

• Technical understanding of mechanical systems, electromechanical systems, manufacturing processes, metal coatings, heat treatments, metal fabrication, and/or standard assembly processes

• Applies knowledge of engineering and scientific methods, theories and research techniques in the disciplined investigation and solution of technical problems.

• Experience and proficiency in working with multiple projects.

• Self-motivated to start and complete quality work

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Suite, including MS Project.

• Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

• US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED.

Desired/Preferred Experience and Skills

• Familiarity and experience with energetic materials typically found in medium caliber ammunition.

• Familiarity and experience with the manufacture and test of medium caliber ammunition.

• Experience working at a site compliant with AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, or equivalent.

• Ability to read drawings with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.

Sr. Principal Production Engineer:

• BS degree in Engineering discipline and minimum of 9 years or MS in Engineering discipline and 7 years’ experience in design and/or manufacturing environment relevant to the typical duties listed above.

• Ability to guide successful completion of significant projects and provide work direction, mentoring, and coordination of other technical team members as needed.

• Significant experience working and communicating with customers, program management, and engineering management

• Technical understanding of mechanical systems, electromechanical systems, manufacturing processes, metal coatings, heat treatments, metal fabrication, and/or standard assembly processes

• Applies knowledge of engineering and scientific methods, theories and research techniques in the disciplined investigation and solution of technical problems.

• Experience and proficiency in working with multiple projects.

• Self-motivated to start and complete quality work

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Suite, including MS Project.

• Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

• US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED.

Desired/Preferred Experience and Skills

• Familiarity and experience with energetic materials typically found in medium caliber ammunition.

• Familiarity and experience with the manufacture and test of medium caliber ammunition.

• Experience working at a site compliant with AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, or equivalent.

• Ability to read drawings with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing.

Salary Range: $90,600 USD - $136,000 USD

Salary Range 2: $112,300 USD - $168,500 USD

Employees may be eligible for 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 health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.