Principal Engineer Quality

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU); San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 103,600 - 155,400; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU) in San Diego seeks a Quality Engineer to develop and maintain QA systems, apply control plans, and partner with engineering and manufacturing to uphold quality standards.

You will perform statistical analyses, audits, root-cause investigations, and reviews ensuring compliance with ISO9001, AS9100, MIL and IPC standards, and support continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or STEM field; 5 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering or Quality Analyst experience; Master’s Degree with 3 years’ experience.
• Experience with QMS (ISO9001, AS9100) standards.
• Experience with GR&R and inspection methods.
• Experience with Material Review Board process and dispositioning material in manufacturing.
• Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods.
• Experience mentoring employees.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance; U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, apply, and maintain quality evaluation, control systems, and protocols for processing materials into products.
• Partner with engineering and manufacturing to uphold quality standards.
• Design, analyze, and implement inspection and testing processes; conduct quality assurance tests and statistical analyses.
• Audit quality systems, drive corrective actions, and ensure compliance and continual improvement.
• Identify barriers to quality improvement through root‑cause analysis and CAPA planning.
• Review contracts and drawings to apply standards (ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC).
• Interface with production-floor roles and communicate with stakeholders.
• Define and control quality characteristics; develop control plans and work instructions.
• Manage nonconformances and lead cross-functional containment.
• Create and interpret QC tools and FMEAs.
• Interpret GD&T to verify design compliance.
• Apply benchmarking techniques for system-wide quality improvements.
• Facilitate team collaboration and problem-solving.
• Specialize as needed in various quality domains (design, incoming material, etc.).

Skills

Data analytics

Statistical analysis

Root cause analysis

Quality system improvement

Mentoring employees

Excel

Power BI

SQL

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or STEM field

Tools

Minitab

Excel

Power BI

SQL

SAP

Job description

Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, apply, and maintain quality evaluation, control systems, and protocols for processing materials into semi‑finished or finished products.
• Partner with engineering and manufacturing to establish and uphold quality standards.
• Design, analyze, and implement inspection and testing processes and equipment; conduct quality assurance tests, perform statistical analyses to determine cost and responsibility for non‑conforming parts.
• Audit quality systems, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions that meet reliability and documentation requirements; plan, conduct, report, and follow‑up on audits to ensure compliance and continual process improvement.
• Identify and remove barriers to quality improvement through root‑cause analysis and corrective‑action planning.
• Review contracts, scopes of work, and drawings to evaluate, interpret, and apply company policies, ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC, and other applicable standards.
• Interface with production‑floor roles (inspection, assembly, operations) and communicate clearly with all stakeholders.
• Define, classify, and control quality characteristics for products, processes, and services; develop and validate control plans and work‑instruction updates.
• Manage nonconformances across the facility; lead cross‑functional containments to ensure product compliance.
• Create, use, and interpret quality‑control tools (flowcharts, Pareto, control charts) and construct/interpret FMEAs.
• Interpret technical drawings and specifications, including GD&T symbols, to verify compliance with design requirements.
• Apply benchmarking techniques to drive system‑wide quality improvements.
• Facilitate team collaboration with brainstorming, conflict‑resolution, and other facilitation tools.
• Specialize as needed in design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation, reliability, inventory control, or R&D as they apply to product or process quality.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or other STEM‑related field with 5 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering or Quality Analyst experience; Master’s Degree in Engineering or other STEM‑related field with 3 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering or Quality Analyst experience.
• Experience with process adherence to QMS (ISO9001, AS9100, etc.) standards.
• Experience with various Inspection Methods and GR&R (Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility).
• Experience with Preliminary or Material Review Board Process and dispositioning material in a manufacturing facility.
• Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods and techniques.
• Experience mentoring employees.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aerospace, Electrical, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering background.
• Experience in at least one of the following standards (IPC, J‑Std, MIL‑STD).
• Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI).
• Green/Black Belt Certified in Lean Six‑sigma.
• Certified auditor.
• Experience facilitating RCCAs with technical groups.
• SAP Experience.
• Active Secret Clearance.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams to resolve problems or issues.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel, Minitab or equivalent tools for statistical analysis.
• Experience with Artificial Intelligence, SQL, Power BI to aid in data analysis and data visualization.
• Experience with FMEAs, CARs, and audit processes.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).
• Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC‑A‑610.
• Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC/WHMA‑A‑620.

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

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