I am on a team that is responsible for designing, testing, and analyzing data of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs).
You Have to See it to Believe It
Ja’Vell Carter grew up in poverty and never dreamed of becoming an engineer.
By Julie Knight
Throughout his life, Ja’Vell Carter seemed to naturally attract angels, strangers whose random acts of kindness set him on a better path.
Beyond His Wildest Dreams
Now an award-winning B-21 engineer, Ja’Vell says, “When I was a kid, growing up in poverty in Louisiana, I never dreamed of becoming an engineer, especially a black engineer. You have to see it to believe it, and I’d never met an engineer.”
Ja’Vell got the idea to become an engineer from the first angel in his life, his seventh-grade substitute teacher.
“While sharpening my pencil, the tip got jammed in the pencil sharpener hole. I started taking it apart to fix it. I just didn’t want to get into trouble.”
My teacher said, “’You outta be an engineer.’” That was the spark that ignited his career path.
He attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas, earned good grades and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
In his senior year in 2020, a recruiter from Lockheed Martin promised him a job when he graduated. Unfortunately, the recruiter left Lockheed right before Ja’Vell’s graduation and left no record of his job offer.
Surrounded by Angels
That year, several of his college schoolmates were headed for the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Conference in Washington D.C., where companies go to recruit bright college students like him. Unfortunately, since Ja’Vell previously had a job offer, he wasn’t included on the invite list for the event.
Enter angel number two, Ja’Vell’s roommate Robert. When Robert heard what happened, he encouraged his little brother Ramon to give Ja’Vell his invitation to the event, knowing Ramon had two more years to attend while this would be Ja’Vell’s last big shot at getting another job offer.
Thanks to the kindness of Robert and Ramon, Ja’Vell was able to attend the conference and schedule an interview at the event with Lockheed Martin.
This year, the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) honored Ja’Vell as a 2025 Modern Day Technology Leader.
Nothing Could Stop Him
He got to the BEYA Conference three hours early to scope things out. “My goal was to come home with a job offer from Lockheed Martin.”
While walking around the various employer recruitment tables before his Lockheed interview, the Northrop Grumman booth caught his eye.
Gina Woullard, vice president, Manufacturing Affordability and Palmdale Site Deputy greeted him and offered to review his resume even though he wasn’t set up to interview at Northrop Grumman.
Gina introduced him to other Palmdale leaders, who offered to do a mock interview and give him tips to help prep him for the day’s interviews.
“It was clear from the moment we met him at the conference that he was a perfect fit for the future we’re building in Operations,” Gina says.
Palmdale Site Leader Bryan Mahoney, sector vice president of Operations, listened to Ja’Vell’s practice interview sessions — and was so impressed, he offered him a job right on the spot.
Due to a Lockheed scheduling error, Ja’Vell was never able to interview with them that day, which he considers all part of a divine plan. “I would have felt destroyed if I hadn’t luckily stopped by the Northrop Grumman booth.”
Today, as a B-21 engineer, Ja’Vell is part of a team that develops new technology solutions to improve efficiency, reduce cost and improve quality. In the past five years at our company, he’s earned two promotions and this year, BEYA recognized Ja’Vell as a 2025 Modern Day Technology Leader.
“I love that my work helps protect our warfighters and makes the country a safer place,” Ja’Vell says.
Why He Loves Northrop Grumman
"I love that my work helps protect our warfighters and makes the country a safer place. I love that I get to be a true pioneer thanks to my work developing B-21 technology. But our great leaders are the reason I stay. They believed in me and gave me confidence to succeed, so I could start believing in myself.
Last year, he earned a master’s degree in engineering management, with the help of the EdAssist program, which reimbursed his tuition expenses. “I’m so grateful that my company invests in me.”
Paying it Forward
Now, Ja’vell pays forward the kindnesses he received. He mentors young, aspiring engineers. He serves on the board of Palmdale’s African American Task Group, enjoys coaching Northrop Grumman interns and takes every call he gets from young people in his hometown and college alma mater, encouraging them to follow him on the path to engineering.
“I want to be walking proof for them. I tell them, if I can do it, you can, too.”
Life at Northrop Grumman
Your work at Northrop Grumman makes a difference. Whether you want to design next-generation aircraft, harness digital technologies or build spacecraft that will return humanity to the moon, you’ll contribute to technology that’s transforming the world. Check out our career opportunities to see how you can help define possible.
