Principal/Sr. Principal Production Operations Level 3/4

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Senior Production Operations professional to act as the primary manufacturing liaison to IPTs, drive manufacturing strategy, and coordinate cross-functional program reviews. This role requires a Secret clearance and contributes to cost, schedule, and performance improvements across complex programs.

Responsibilities include leading program reviews with customers, developing action plans, monitoring progress with dashboards, and guiding proposals and BOE

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 4 years experience in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, or related field; or Master’s with 3 years; or PhD with 0 years.
• Experience supporting complex composite production in a manufacturing or operations environment.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with IPT and cross-functional teams (Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality/Mission Assurance, Manufacturing).
• Exposure to or experience supporting EVMS, cost/schedule reporting, or budget tracking (direct or indirect).
• Proven ability to assess issues, create and execute action plans, and report status and risks to leadership.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership or customers.
• Current and active U.S. Government Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary manufacturing liaison to IPT for development and execution of the manufacturing strategy.
• Lead operational portions of program reviews with internal and external customers, presenting and discussing technical, cost, schedule, and manufacturing performance.
• Assess project and technical issues; develop, drive, and track action plans to meet productivity, quality, cost, schedule, and stakeholder satisfaction goals.
• Develop and maintain mechanisms for monitoring project progress (metrics, dashboards, reviews), enabling early identification of risks and issues.
• Coordinate intervention and problem solving with IPT, engineering, suppliers, manufacturing managers, mission assurance, and customers to resolve constraints and improve flow.
• Coordinate and lead the preparation of proposals from a manufacturing/operations standpoint; prepare and review all manufacturing BOE justifications.
• Support EVMS for manufacturing scope, including: developing/managing plans, budgets, schedules within the control account structure; monitoring CPI, SPI, variances; developing Estimates at Complete (EACs).
• Manage indirect budgets for production operations, including planning/tracking indirect labor, overhead and discretionary spending; identify cost-control measures.
• Drive continuous improvement, identifying and mitigating risks and opportunities in safety, quality, cost, schedule, and throughput.
• Lead cross-functional strategy and improvement initiatives with significant program or enterprise impact (Sr. Principal).
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior production operations and program team members.
• Influence long-range planning for capacity, capital investments, and manufacturing technology roadmaps.

Skills

Communication skills

Lead cross-functional teams

Strategic planning

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Operations/Business/Supply Chain

Master’s degree in related field

PhD in related field

Tools

Earned Value Management System (EVMS)

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

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.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary manufacturing liaison to Integrated Product Team (IPT) for development and execution of the manufacturing strategy, ensuring alignment with program objectives.
• Lead operational portions of program review sessions with internal and external customers, presenting and discussing technical, cost, schedule, and manufacturing performance.
• Assess project and technical issues; develop, drive, and track action plans to meet productivity, quality, cost, schedule, and stakeholder satisfaction goals.
• Develop and maintain mechanisms for monitoring project progress (metrics, dashboards, reviews), enabling early identification of risks and issues.
• Coordinate intervention and problem solving with Integrated Product Team (IPT), engineering, suppliers, manufacturing managers, mission assurance, and customers to resolve constraints and improve flow.
• Coordinate and lead the preparation of proposals from a manufacturing/operations standpoint; prepare and review all manufacturing Basis of Estimate (BOE) justifications.
• Support Earned Value Management System (EVMS) for manufacturing scope, including:
  • Developing and maintaining manufacturing plans, budgets, and schedules within the control account structure.
  • Monitoring cost and schedule performance (e.g., CPI, SPI, variances), identifying root causes, and driving corrective actions.
  • Supporting development of Estimates at Complete (EACs) and variance analyses for operations-related control accounts.
• Manage indirect budgets for production operations, including:
  • Planning and tracking indirect labor, overhead, and discretionary spending against targets.
  • Identifying and implementing cost-control and efficiency measures to maintain indirect spending within plan.
  • Providing forecasts and supporting EACs that incorporate both direct and indirect cost impacts.
• Drive continuous improvement, identifying and mitigating risks and realizing opportunities in safety, quality, cost, schedule, and throughput.

For Sr. Principal level

• Lead cross-functional strategy and improvement initiatives with significant program or enterprise impact.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior production operations and program team members.
• Influence long-range planning for capacity, capital investments, and manufacturing technology roadmaps.

This requisition may be filled at either Level 3 or Level 4 based on the qualifications below.

Basic Qualifications

• Principal Production Operations: Bachelor's degree with 4 years of experience in Engineering, Operations, Business, Supply Chain, or related field: Master's degree with 3 year of experience in mentioned fields: OR PhD with 0 years of experience.
• Experience supporting complex composite production in a manufacturing or operations environment.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with Integrated Product Team (IPT) and cross-functional teams (Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality/Mission Assurance, Manufacturing).
• Exposure to or experience supporting EVMS, cost/schedule reporting, or budget tracking (direct or indirect).
• Proven ability to assess issues, create and execute action plans, and report status and risks to leadership.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership or customers.
• Current and active U.S. Government Secret clearance
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Special Program Access within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business need