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Principal Engineer Quality

Northrop Grumman
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San Diego, CA, USA
Sep 20, 2026
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.

We are looking for you to join our Northrop Grumman Mission Systems team as a Principal Engineer Quality based out of San Diego, CA for the F-22 Program.

This role will support the Integrated Product Team on our manufacturing site and will provide quality support. Work activities will be focused on Material Review as part of the Nonconforming Material Control process, Corrective Actions & Root Cause Investigations, and quality data analysis and reports.

What you'll get to do:

  • Develop, modify, apply, and maintain quality evaluation, control systems, and protocols for processing materials into semi-finished or finished products.  

  • Partner with engineering and manufacturing to establish and uphold quality standards.  

  • Design, analyze, and implement inspection and testing processes and equipment; conduct quality assurance tests, perform statistical analyses to determine cost and responsibility for non-conforming parts. 

  • Audit quality systems, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions that meet reliability and documentation requirements; plan, conduct, report, and follow‑up on audits to ensure compliance and continual process improvement.   

  • Identify and remove barriers to quality improvement through root‑cause analysis and corrective‑action planning.  

  • Review contracts/SOWs/drawings to evaluate, interpret and apply company policies, ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC, and other standards applicable to designs and processes.   

  • Interface with production‑floor roles (inspection, assembly, operations) and communicate clearly with all stakeholders.  

  • Define, classify, and control quality characteristics for products, processes, and services; develop and validate control plans and work‑instruction updates.   

  • Manage nonconformances across the facility; lead cross‑functional containments to ensure product compliance.  

  • Create, use and interpret quality‑control tools (flowcharts, Pareto, control charts) and construct/interpret FMEAs.  

  • Interpret technical drawings and specifications, including GD&T symbols, to verify compliance with design requirements 

  • Apply benchmarking techniques to drive system‑wide quality improvements.  

  • Facilitate team collaboration with brainstorming, conflict‑resolution, and other facilitation tools. 

  • Specialize as needed in design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation, reliability, inventory control, or R&D as they apply to product or process quality.  

Basic Qualifications for the Principal Engineer Quality:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or other STEM-related field with 5 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering or Quality Analyst experience; Master’s Degree in Engineering or other STEM-related field with 3 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering or Quality Analyst experience.

  • Experience with process adherence to QMS (ISO9001, AS9100, etc) standards.

  • Experience with various Inspection Methods and GR&R (Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility).

  • Experience with Preliminary or Material Review Board Process and dispositioning material in a manufacturing facility.

  • Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods and techniques. 

  • Experience mentoring employees. 

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

  • US Citizenship required

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Aerospace, Electrical, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering background

  • Experience in at least one of the following standards (IPC, J-Std, MIL-STD) 

  • Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI). 

  • Green/Black Belt Certified in Lean Six-sigma. 

  • Certified in Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies 

  • Certified auditor 

  • Experience Facilitating RCCAs with technical groups 

  • SAP Experience 

  • Active Secret Clearance 

  • Experience leading cross-functional teams to resolve problems or issues. 

  • Experience using Microsoft Excel, Minitab or equivalent tools for statistical analysis. 

  • Experience with Artificial Intelligence, SQL, Power BI to aid in data analysis and data visualization.  

  • Experience with FMEAs, CARs, and audit processes. 

  • ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)  

  • Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) - IPC‑A‑610  

  • Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) - IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 

#MPR

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00The 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.

Job ID

R10238433
About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees are Defining Possible every day to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will allow you to work together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines.

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