Principal Quality Analyst

ngc; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Baltimore, MD is seeking a Principal Quality Analyst to lead quality programs on-site. You will develop quality plans, perform audits, and drive improvements from root-cause analyses to cross-functional actions.

The role focuses on ensuring product and process quality across assemblies and subsystems. Ideal candidates have Six Sigma and DMAIC experience, with strong collaboration skills for partners in engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Experience applying statistical quality-control tools and Six Sigma methods.
• Ability to plan and lead quality assurance programs and audits.
• Strong problem-solving with root-cause analysis and corrective actions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement quality plans and procedures using statistical methods and Six Sigma.
• Ensure product quality meets company and regulatory standards.
• Review and report quality discrepancies in assemblies and systems.
• Investigate issues, propose dispositions, and drive corrective actions.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, engineering, customers, vendors, and subcontractors.
• Recommend design or process improvements and changes to procedures.
• Define relationships among quality manuals, procedures, and work instructions.
• Apply cost-of-quality concepts including prevention and appraisal.
• Plan and verify audits: purpose, scope, execution, and corrective actions.
• Facilitate team development and alignment of quality goals.
• Use PDCA, Kaizen, and DMAIC for process improvement.
• Utilize quality tools: cause-effect, flowcharts, Pareto, histograms, control charts.

Skills

Statistical QC

Six Sigma

Lean manufacturing

DMAIC

Root-cause analysis

Process improvement

Audit planning

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: SecretTRAVEL: 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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. We have awide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies. Our differentiated battlemanagement and cyber solutions deliver timely, mission-enabling information and provide superior situational awarenessand understanding to protect the U.S. and its global allies.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is looking for you to join us as a Principal Quality Analyst based on-siteinBaltimore, MD.

What you will get to do:

• Develop and implement program quality plans, programs, and procedures using statistical quality‑control, lean manufacturing, SixSigma tools, and analyses.
• Ensure product performance and quality meet company and regulatory standards.
• Review, analyze, and report quality discrepancies in assembly, process, mechanical, electrical, and electro‑mechanical systems.
• Investigate problems, create dispositions, and apply corrective actions for recurring issues; collaborate with manufacturing, engineering, customers, vendors, and subcontractors to meet requirements.
• Recommend corrective actions, dispositions, and design or process modifications.
• Identify and describe the relationships among quality manuals, procedures, and work instructions.
• Apply the cost‑of‑quality concept (prevention, appraisal, internal‑failure, external‑failure).
• Define audit components: purpose, scope, planning, execution, meetings, final report, and corrective‑action verification.
• Facilitate team development through information sharing, ice‑breakers, and vision alignment.
• Employ process‑improvement methodologies: PDCA cycles, Kaizen, incremental/breakthrough improvements, and DMAIC phases.
• Select, construct, apply, and interpret basic quality tools (cause‑and‑effect diagrams, flowcharts, check sheets, Pareto charts, scatter diagrams, run/control charts, histograms).
• Recognize risk types (scheduling, shipping, financial, operations, safety, regulatory) and apply mitigation methods (avoidance, reduction, prevention, segregation, transfer).
• Describe acceptance‑sampling parameters (lot size, sample size, acceptance number, OC curves) and determine when probability‑based approaches are appropriate.
• Outline product and process approval systems, including validation and qualification methods such as beta testing, first‑article, in‑process, and final inspections.
• Explain material identification, status, and traceability; describe segregation of non‑conforming material.
• Demonstrate corrective‑action steps: problem identification, containment, root‑cause analysis, solution proposal, implementation verification, and effectiveness confirmation.
• Apply preventive‑action elements: trend tracking, FMEA, monitoring‑report review, potential‑failure identification, error‑proofing, and change verification.