Principal Engineer Manufacturing

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 103,600 - 155,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan

Savings Plan

Paid Time Off

Education Assistance

Training and Development

Job summary

0090 CORP-Corporate Office is seeking a qualified candidate for a role focused on leading 5S implementation across the organization. The position requires expertise in lean manufacturing and a minimum of 5 years in production improvement.

With responsibilities that include coaching, driving compliance, and managing KPIs, this role is crucial for fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or a related field and the ability to maintain a Secret clearance.

Benefits include health and savings plans, education assistance, and a 9/80 work schedule where available.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in manufacturing/production improvement.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
• Experience in operational test facility preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement site-wide 5S activities and standards.
• Design and manage I-Card suggestion program.
• Integrate safety into all improvement activities.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing principles

Six Sigma methodologies

Data visualizations

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or related field

Bachelor's degree in STEM, preferably Mechanical Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Creo

SolidWorks

Job description

Job Overview

Relocation assistance: No relocation assistance available.

Clearance: Secret clearance required to start.

Travel: Yes, 10% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Lead, track, execute, and audit site-wide 5S implementation, developing standards, running audits, training teams, and driving corrective actions.
• Design, launch, and manage the I-Card (Improvement Idea) suggestion program, establishing the submission workflow, performance reporting, and incentive structure.
• Facilitate rapid implementation of high-impact ideas: prioritize suggestions, run pilots, scale successes, and update SOPs and operating plans.
• Integrate safety and compliance into all 5S and I-Card activities; conduct risk assessments and promote a safety-first culture.
• Define and track KPIs for 5S and the suggestion system, producing dashboards and continuous-feedback loops for senior leadership.
• Coach supervisors and lean champions, conduct workshops and brown-bag sessions to sustain a continuous-improvement mindset.
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Production, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, CI) to align initiatives with business objectives and support other lean tools.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of 5S standards, I-Card procedures, and improvement projects; prepare executive summaries for senior leadership.
• Act as the subject-matter expert for audit readiness, providing quick access to documented CI evidence and traceability records.
• Maintain a centralized CI repository, producing dashboards, quarterly reports, and training materials to promote adoption.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in manufacturing/production improvement, capacity planning, or industrial engineering roles.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing principles and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience with data visualizations and reporting.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM, preferably Mechanical Engineering.
• Operational experience in a test facility and/or power generation/chemical facility.
• Experience with design software (AutoCAD, Creo, SolidWorks, or equivalent).
• Six Sigma certification (Green/Black Belt) or equivalent continuous-improvement certification.
• Active Secret clearance.

Benefits & Compensation

• Health Plan
• Savings Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Education Assistance, Training and Development
• 9/80 Work Schedule (where available)
• Additional benefits tailored to individual needs

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600 - $155,400. Compensation may include overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and, for certain senior positions, long-term incentives.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.

Legal Requirements

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.