Principal Quality Engineer

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
• CLEARANCE TYPE: Confidential
• TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

About the role

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 seeking a highly skilled Principal Quality Engineer to join our Mission Assurance team supporting Medium Caliber ammunition production in Plymouth, MN. In this key role, you will help ensure the reliability and performance of products that support our warfighters and national security

Overview

This position will provide Quality Engineering and Mission Assurance support to Medium Caliber Ammunition Production programs. This includes production line support at multiple locations, supplier inspection and monitoring, identifying contractual Quality requirements, preparing quality program plans, inspection procedures and quality requirements flow-down, supplier process monitoring, application of lean/six-sigma tools, drawing reviews, customer interface/reports/submittals, and reviewing product acceptance data.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Quality Systems Leadership

• Ensure compliance to contract quality requirements and AS9100 / ISO 9001 Quality Management System processes on development and production programs.
• Identify contractual quality requirements and translate them into quality program plans, inspection procedures, and quality requirement flow-down to suppliers.
• Provide expertise and guidance to program teams and suppliers on quality assurance, quality systems, tools, training, problem solving, statistical analysis, and continuous improvement.

Problem Solving, Root Cause & Corrective Action

• Lead and support cross‑functional investigations with internal teams, suppliers, and customers.
• Conduct technical diagnosis and root cause analysis for customer complaints, field failures, and internal escapes.
• Drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to eliminate recurrence and reduce risk.
• Work with Operations to initiate effective containment, investigation, and countermeasures to prevent defect outflow in‑house and to customers.

Production & Supplier Quality

• Provide production line support at multiple locations, including on‑site monitoring of manufacturing lines and supplier processes.
• Assess suppliers’ capabilities and conformance to their Quality Systems, including process controls and inspection methods.
• Evaluate manufacturing methods and inspection capabilities; identify key characteristics and appropriate inspection strategies.

Technical Quality Engineering

• Develop and implement product inspection plans and incoming inspection procedures.
• Initiate and support Material Review Board (MRB) actions; resolve nonconforming material issues and facilitate corrective actions.
• Review drawings for inspection capability and conformance to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards.
• Perform statistical analysis (yield, SPC, key characteristics) and use Lean/Six Sigma tools to drive process improvements.
• Prepare and manage quality documentation, including quality code requisitions, CDRL (Contract Data Requirements List) deliverables, and customer submittals.
• Review inspection and acceptance data to assess process capability and product compliance.
• Report quality and mission assurance status to program management, quality leadership, and customers.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or a relevant STEM discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in quality planning, quality tools, and analysis in a manufacturing environment, or a minimum of 5 years in applied engineering.
• Experience in the aerospace and defense industry supporting highly regulated products or systems.
• US Citizenship is required.
• Manufacturing background with familiarity in metals and electronics production.
• Strong background in inspection equipment and techniques, with general knowledge of metrology and calibration.
• Solid understanding of engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Proficiency with Quality Tools (e.g., Statistics, DOE, FMEA, MSA).
• Experience working in a highly regulated environment (e.g., defense, aerospace, or similar).
• Strong technical knowledge in mechanical manufacturing, tools, gages, and calibration.
• ASQ certifications (CQA, CQE, CQM, or equivalent) are a plus.
• Proficiency with standard computer and data analysis tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with internal and external customers.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%, domestically and internationally, sometimes on short notice.

Primary Level Salary Range

$98,900.00 - $148,300.00

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.