Principal Configuration Analyst

0887 DS - Armament Systems; United States; On-site; USD 81,400 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems in Mesa, AZ is seeking a Principal Configuration Analyst to define and maintain configuration management (CM) processes across programs. This role emphasizes integrity, traceability, and compliance of configuration items throughout the lifecycle.

You will lead CM baselines, coordinate documentation, drive automation, and mentor teams while collaborating with engineering, QA, and supply chain to ready releases.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in configuration management or lifecycle roles.
• Experience with CM tools and version control.
• Ability to present CM status to leadership.
• U.S. Citizen with potential DoD clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve CM policies and baselines.
• Define baselines for hardware, software, docs.
• Coordinate documentation and change records.
• Lead CM reviews and change boards.
• Produce CM metrics and dashboards.
• Automate CM tasks and integrate CI/CD.

Skills

Configuration management principles

Change management

Traceability

Audits

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field

Tools

Git

Jira

Teamcenter

SharePoint

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance 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. Put your skills to the test by pushing the boundaries of what's possible. From global defense to sustainment and modernization to mission readiness, your experience and ability will make it a reality. Our programs are built on equal parts of curiosity and collaboration. Our combined effort means our customers can connect and defend millions of people around the world. With Northrop Grumman, you'll have the opportunity to be an essential part of projects that will define your career, now and in the future.

At Northrop Grumman Defense Systems we are seeking an experienced Configuration Analyst to support our Armament Systems Business Unit located in Mesa, AZ.

Northrop Grumman's Armament Systems Division site in Mesa, Arizona produces automatic medium caliber gun systems.

Northrop Grumman gun systems built for the U.S. and international militaries have been used in all major conflicts since World War II in a variety of applications to include small and large ground vehicles, helicopters, airplanes and naval ships.

Position Summary

The Principal Configuration Analyst is a technical and process-focused role responsible for defining, implementing, and maintaining configuration management (CM) processes, tools, and baselines across product, IT, or engineering environments. This role ensures integrity, traceability, and compliance of configuration items (CIs) across the lifecycle, drives cross-functional configuration strategy, and mentors teams on CM best practices. This position is located in Mesa, Arizona.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, own, and continuously improve configuration management policies, processes, and standards to ensure configuration integrity and auditability based on SAE EIA-649 and customer contract requirements.
• Define, implement, and maintain configuration baselines for hardware, software, documentation, and related artifacts across multiple projects or product lines.
• Job emphasis is placed on planning and coordination of project documentation, such as engineering drawings, production specifications and schedules, and contract modifications, to ensure customer contract requirements are met.
• Reviews contracts to determine documentation required for each phase of project, applying knowledge of engineering and manufacturing processes.
• Coordinates modification records for management control.
• Manages change orders and change authorization documentation.
• Reviews and analyses released engineering change data and coordinates changes with engineering, quality control, operations, manufacturing, and engineering data control activities.
• The Northrop Grumman CM tool, Siemens Teamcenter will be used as the system of record for controlling document status and bills of material.
• Manage configuration management tools (e.g., version control systems, CMDBs, release/configuration tools) and integrate them with CI/CD pipelines and lifecycle tools.
• Lead configuration control boards (CCBs) or change review processes; Analyzes proposed changes of product design to determine effect on overall product and system.
• Design and enforce traceability from requirements through design, build, test, and release; maintain relationships between configuration items.
• Perform or coordinate configuration audits and reviews (functional and physical) and remedy any discrepancies uncovered.
• Collaborate with engineering, product management, QA, and supply chain to ensure configuration alignment and readiness for release.
• Provide mentorship, training, and guidance to configuration analysts, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Produce CM metrics, dashboards, and reports to demonstrate compliance, stability, and improvement opportunities to senior leadership.
• Drive automation to reduce manual CM work (baseline creation, packaging, versioning, deployments) and scale CM practices across the organization.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience). 5+ years of experience in configuration management, change management, or product lifecycle management roles.
• Practical knowledge of configuration management principles (versioning, baselines, item identification, change control, traceability, audits).
• Hands-on experience with configuration management and version control tools (e.g., Git, Jira, TCUA). Utilize and manage tools such as Siemens Teamcenter and SharePoint.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present CM status and recommendations to executive leadership.
• Ability to focus on multiple projects with competing priorities.
• U.S. Citizen and be able to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CMII (Configuration Management II), ITIL Practitioner/Expert, SAFe, or PMP.
• Prior experience in regulated industries (aerospace, defense, medical devices, automotive) with audit and compliance requirements.

Core Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking and ability to translate strategy into executable CM plans.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; attention to detail.
• Process design and continuous improvement mindset.
• Risk assessment and mitigation related to configuration changes.
• Ability to produce actionable CM metrics and actionable dashboards.

Working Conditions

Office environment; occasional travel for cross-site coordination or audits. On-call or release-support duties during major releases as needed.

Primary Level Salary Range

$81,400.00 - $122,000.00 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.

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We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space - our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work.

Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.