Senior Principal Manufacturing Engineer – Defense Systems

0887 DS - Armament Systems; United States; On-site; USD 123,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking an experienced Senior Principal Engineer to provide manufacturing and process‑engineering expertise for medium‑caliber ammunition programs in Plymouth, MN. You will deliver end‑to‑end manufacturing support for electromechanical fuzes, covering design support, DFA/DFM, process development, automation, production planning, and continuous improvement.

You will collaborate across functions to ensure safe, high‑quality, producible, and cost‑effective solutions, leveraging

Qualifications

• Bachelor/Master/PhD in mechanical engineering or related field with 4–8+ years of experience for relevant levels.
• Experience interfacing with customers, program management, and engineering management.
• Strong background in mechanical/electromechanical systems and manufacturing processes.
• Proficiency with MS Project and Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to obtain DoD security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate DFM/DFA and automation opportunities for new product development and existing products.
• Leverage robotics, torque tools, vision/inspection systems, and data analytics for quality and cost control.
• Aid in production solution design including automation cells, fixtures, and test stations.
• Develop and execute plans to support increased production volumes and ramp-up strategies.
• Provide on-site troubleshooting, maintenance, and upgrades for automation equipment.
• Develop manufacturing processes and documentation to meet requirements.
• Coordinate builds of electromechanical assemblies for programs in development and production.
• Interface with design engineering to optimize producibility and manage discrepancies.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering

PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Customer communication

Program management

Engineering management

Mechanical/electromechanical systems

Manufacturing processes

Metal fabrication

Assembly processes

MS Project

Microsoft Suite

DoD security clearance eligibility

Tools

Kepware

Thingworx

Power BI

Creo

Teamcenter

ERP systems

MES systems

Allen-Bradley

Epson/Fanuc robots

Job description

Northrop Grumman is seeking an experienced Senior Principal Engineer to provide manufacturing and process‑engineering expertise for medium‑caliber ammunition programs in Plymouth, MN. You will deliver end‑to‑end manufacturing support for electromechanical fuzes, covering design support, DFA/DFM, process development, automation, production planning, and continuous improvement.

You will collaborate across functions to ensure safe, high‑quality, producible, and cost‑effective solutions, leveraging