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Principal Quality Engineer

Northrop Grumman
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Annapolis, MD, USA
Sep 22, 2026
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: NoneTRAVEL: 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.

At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We are looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we ’II support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you ’II have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.


Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is currently seeking a Principal Quality Engineer to join our team in Annapolis, MD.


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

  • Bachelor of Science Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field with a minimum of 5 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work, performing technical job functions; OR a minimum of 3 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions with a Masters Degree in a STEM field OR a minimum of 1 year of engineering  experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work, performing technical job functions with a PhD Degree in a STEM field
  • Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods and techniques
  • Experience with electrical or mechanical design requirements and specifications 
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret Clearance
  • US Citizenship required


Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in at least one of the following standards (IPC, J-Std, MIL-STD)
  • Experience with ISO9001 or AS9100 Quality Management System and AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI)
  • Experience Facilitating RCCAs with technical groups
  • SAP Experience
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams to resolve problems or issues
  • Experience using Microsoft Excel, Minitab or equivalent tools for statistical analysis
  • Experience with FMEAs, CARs, and audit processes
  • Experience with Earned Value Management 
  • Experience in support of proposals and quoting of Quality hours in bids
  • Experience with Material Review Board (MRB) process 
  • Experience with dispositioning hardware for quality related issues in a manufacturing facility 

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00The 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

R10252168

Security Clearance

SECRET
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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