Test Inspection Manager 1

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Advanced Weapons seeks a Test Inspection Manager 1 to lead the Inspection Team at the Northridge site, ensuring product quality and on-time delivery. This full-time role requires DoD secret clearance eligibility and hands-on supervision of 8–10 inspectors, with focus on IPC standards and internal/external customer interfaces.

Responsibilities include training, audits, and process improvements in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, aligning with program objectives and mission

Qualifications

• 5+ years with a Bachelors or 3+ years with a Masters in Quality/Mission Assurance.
• 2+ years of proven management and leadership experience.
• Proficient in MS Office (Access, Excel, Word, OneNote).
• Ability to read engineering docs, inspect drawings and parts lists.
• Knowledge of Lean, 5S and RCA tools (Ishikawa, FMEA, DOE, 8D, 5 Why).
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance (US citizenship required).

Responsibilities

• Manage 8–10 Inspectors at the Northridge site and align tasks with schedule.
• Provide training plans for Inspection personnel on quality controls.
• Apply general inspection techniques for mechanical and electronic assemblies.
• Communicate with PMO, IPT, and customers at various levels about status.
• Lead site audits including AS9100, DCMA and customer audits.
• Support continuous improvement and fast-paced production environments.
• Meet or exceed quality, safety, delivery, and cost goals for stakeholders.
• Manage inspection backlog and logistics to move product efficiently.
• May support oversight at NAWS China Lake and Edwards AFB.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Leadership

MS Office

Reading engineering drawings

Lean Manufacturing

DoD Security Clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in quality/engineering

Tools

AS9100

AS9102 First Article Reports

TipQA

Costpoint

MES

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE

Relocation assistance may be available. CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No 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.

Job Description

Northrop Grumman Advanced Weapons is seeking a Test Inspection Manager 1 to join our team. The position is responsible for product and process compliance through integration and delivery to internal and external customers. This position assumes the Production Inspection function responsibility at the Northridge, CA site. This position is required to be full-time at our Northridge location. No remote/telework arrangement is available for this position. Applicants must have the ability to obtain a US Government DoD Secret Clearance.

Overview

Responsible for daily operations and supervision of the Inspection Team, assignment of work, schedules, day-to-day workflow, and operating costs. Provides direction to Inspection Team using established policies and procedures. Monitors inspection activities and operations daily and actively assists or provides direction. Executes and enforces policy that affect multiple functions. Majority of liaison is on internal basis with subordinates and supervisors at equivalent or higher level. Responsible for daily activity quality inspection activities including in-process inspection of product and final acceptance of product. The Quality Inspection Manager will also be responsible for reviewing quality inspection processes, work with Operations on schedule completions, assist with customer audits, non-conformance handling, and interfacing DCMA with GSI requests as needed.

Role and Responsibilities

Management and responsibility of 8-10 Inspectors at the Northridge location. Assure inspectors are working tasks that align with the schedule. Provide direction to Inspection team based on general policies and management guidance to support program objectives. Provide training plan for Inspection Personnel on ESD, FOD/FOE, Contamination / Environmental Controls, following production orders associated with hardware assembly, test and inspection. Knowledge in general inspection techniques and theory for both mechanical and electronic assemblies including familiarity with IPC, J-STD-001, IPC-A-610 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 workmanship standards. Excellent communication / interpersonal skills required to interface with PMO, IPT, Internal / External Customer representatives at various management levels concerning operations, hardware status and scheduling. Must have the ability to prepare and conduct briefings and participate in technical meetings concerning operations, hardware flow, Mission Assurance processes and customer / program objectives. Must be capable of implementing site floor / hardware / process audits and participate in AS9100 compliance audits, DCMA and customer audits. Capable of thriving in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, collaborative/team settings across all levels. Must be comfortable in a manufacturing, integration, assembly, and test environment and be able to collaborate closely with Mission Assurance Engineers and Management, System, Hardware, REA and Test Engineers. Capable of providing direction and guidance to Inspection personnel on Operational Efficiencies, working in a fast-paced environment. Support Digital Transformation initiatives and help reconcile WIP. Responsible to meet or exceed Quality, safety, delivery, employee and cost goal expectations of external and internal customer requirements. Responsible for Inspection backlog in production WIP and determining strategies to move product expeditiously. May support Inspection Team oversight at the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake and Edwards AFB.

Basic Qualifications

• 5 years minimum with Bachelor’s OR 3 years with Master’s with proficiency in Quality / Mission Assurance or 9 years of work experience in lieu of degree.
• 2 years of proven management and leadership experience (people, teams, projects, programs).
• Proficient in MS Office programs (MS Access, Excel, Word, OneNote).
• Ability to read engineering documentation, inspect drawings and parts lists, inspection plans, and supplemental instructions.
• Knowledge base in Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Root Cause Analysis tools such as Ishikawa, FMEA, DOE, 8D, 5 Why, etc.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance (US Citizenship Required).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AS9100 Quality Management Systems
• Experience in creating/approving AS9102 First Article Reports IPC-A-610 and IPC/WHMA-A-620 certified
• Lean / Six Sigma Green or Black-Belt Certified
• TipQA, Costpoint and MES experience
• Current DoD Secret Clearance
• ASQ Certifications such as CQE, CQI, CQT, CQM, etc.

#LI-MA1 Primary Level Salary Range

$100,000.00 - $150,000.00 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.

EEO Statement

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.

Citizenship and Clearance

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

Company Culture

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.