Sentinel Specialty Systems Engineering SSE Supplier Validation Section Manager 2 - 13064-2

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 154,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

401k

Educational Assistance

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Li

Paid Time Off

Health & Wellness Resources

Employee Discounts

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a Specialty Systems Engineering Manager 2 to lead Supplier Validation efforts for the Sentinel program. The role combines technical leadership with program protection, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration.

The candidate will manage a SSE team, ensure secure supply chains, and coordinate with program leadership on risk posture and milestones while maintaining compliance with US government security requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM with 8 years related experience; 6 years with a Master’s.
• US Citizenship with an active Secret clearance (investigation within last 6 years).
• Ability to obtain SAP approval within company timeframe.
• Experience as CAM/WPL or equivalent managing cost and schedule.
• Experience with program protection frameworks such as NIST SP 800-161.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Supplier Validation Plan across the program lifecycle.
• Identify, track, and report supplier risks; integrate into System Risk Management Plan.
• Flow down SCRM and NIST SP 800-161 requirements to suppliers and partners.
• Oversee controls for secure shipping, storage, and handling to prevent tampering.
• Coordinate with SSE Threat Analysis and Mitigation for supply chain threats.
• Lead, mentor and develop a team of System Security Engineers.

Skills

Leadership

Risk management

System security

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in STEM

Master’s Degree in STEM

Tools

MBSE

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. Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking to hire a Specialty Systems Engineering Manager 2. This position will be located in Huntsville, AL. This role may offer a competitive relocation package. This role will be overseeing Supplier Validation (SupVal) on the Sentinel System Security Engineering (SSE) Specialty Engineering team. As a Section Manager you will be expected to spend approximately 20% of your effort on Functional Homeroom (FHR) responsibilities with 80% of your efforts focused on a technical assignment on an SDS project or IPT.

This role is responsible for developing, executing, and continuously improving a comprehensive Supplier Validation (SupVal) Plan covering all hardware, software, firmware, and associated services delivered by the prime and its suppliers, vendors, distributors, subcontractors, and integrators. This role ensures that supplier risks are systematically identified, assessed, mitigated, and monitored across the program lifecycle, and that those risks are integrated into the broader system and program protection risk posture. The Supplier Validation Manager will work closely with SSE, Program Management, Quality, Procurement, Configuration Management, and customer stakeholders to ensure compliant, resilient, and secure supply chains in alignment with NIST SP 800-161 and program-specific requirements.

What you’ll get to do:

• Develop, maintain, and execute a holistic Supplier Validation Plan across the program lifecycle.
• Identify, assess, track, and report supplier risks; integrate into the System Risk Management Plan.
• Flow down SCRM and NIST SP 800-161 requirements to suppliers, vendors, distributors, subcontractors, and integrators.
• Establish processes to validate suppliers and authenticate components with SSE SCRM as genuine and unaltered.
• Define and oversee controls for secure shipping, storage, and handling to prevent counterfeit, tampering, and malware insertion.
• Coordinate with SSE Threat Analysis and Mitigation to incorporate emerging supply chain threats and countermeasures.
• Integrate Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) and obsolescence considerations into supply chain risk mitigation strategies.
• Present supplier risk posture and status in technical reviews, change control forums, and program protection activities.
• Communicate complex technical issues and solutions to SSE team members and management.
• Manage SSE team member task allocation, provide technical oversight, direction.
• Allocate resources to meet time, cost, and schedule.
• Ability to rapidly reprioritize tasks due to leadership demand signals.
• Collaborate and provide inputs to both Functional Homeroom (FHR) and Sentinel Program leadership for status of task execution and milestone completion.
• Communicate with the FHR to establish and optimize standardized SSE processes.
• Conduct Earned Value Management for all SSE cost accounts in conjunction with Cost Account Management (CAM).
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of System Security Engineers.
• Plan and prioritize SSE & Supplier Validation scope, staffing, and budgets in coordination with program management and systems engineering.
• Establish and maintain SSE engineering practices, standards, and review processes across the program.
• Support customer, user, and internal reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.) with SSE Supplier Validation content and rationale.
• Coach, support, train, and motivate team members to ensure a high level of performance.
• Support staffing activities including the creation of requisitions, conducting interviews, and approving offers.
• Provide subordinates with career development recommendations, mentoring, and performance counseling.
• Foster a working environment which reinforces and drives accountability to fundamental Northrop Grumman Values focused on integrity, quality, shared success, and innovation.
• Establish personal, program, and functional goals as well as conduct performance evaluations and merit adjustments for subordinates.

You’ll Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) with 8 years of related experience; 6 years of related experience with a Master’s degree.
• Must be a US Citizen with an active U.S. Government Secret Clearance with an investigation date within the last 6 years.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
• Experience managing to cost and schedule as a Control Account Manager (CAM)/Work Package Lead (WPL) or equivalent.
• Experience with Program and/or Project management, managing multidisciplinary teams through complex engineering problems.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Top Secret clearance with SCI within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
• Experience developing or executing structured risk management processes (identification, analysis, mitigation, monitoring, reporting).
• Experience with supply chain security frameworks (e.g., NIST SP 800-161) and defense/critical-infrastructure environments.
• Experience with suppliers, subcontractors, and cross-functional teams (Engineering, Procurement, Quality, Configuration Management, Program Management).

These Qualifications Would be Nice to Have:

• Bachelors degree in a STEM field and at least 10 years of related systems engineering experience or a Masters Degree and 8 years of related systems engineering experience.
• Experience supporting DoD programs, system security engineering, or program protection implementation activities.
• Hands‑on experience with counterfeit detection/prevention, secure logistics, or component integrity validation processes.
• Experience with DMSMS management and lifecycle planning for hardware/software components.
• Knowledge of additional standards and guidance (e.g., NIST SP 800-53, DoD program protection guidance, ISO/AS9100 quality standards).
• Experience with risk management tools, configuration/change control systems, and supplier performance management systems.
• Experience with microelectronics, hardware assurance, Trusted Secure Networks, and criticality analysis.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience leading teams.
• Experience conducting threat analysis and protection initiatives.
• Current DoD 8140 IAT Level III certification (e.g. CASP+CE, CCNP, CISSP, or equivalent).
• OpSec and Intelligence community background.
• Experience in engaging with the intelligence community, utilizing databases, and performing research and analysis.
• Active Top‑Secret clearance adjudicated within the last 6 years and ability to obtain SAP access.
• NG CAM/EV Certification.
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).
• Prior experience leading 10+ person teams and managing employee performance and professional development.
• Experience working on MMIII or Sentinel ICBM systems.
• Strong analytical, communication, and documentation skills, with the ability to clearly present risk posture and mitigation status to diverse stakeholders.

Position Benefits:

As a full‑time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• Health & Wellness Resources
• Employee Discounts

This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine‑hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Primary Level Salary Range: $153,800.00 - $230,800.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate’s experience, education, skills and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

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.

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

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We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space - our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.