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’re 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’ll 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’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a Manager, Mission Assurance 2 located in Huntsville, AL.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop a domestic hardware Mission Assurance/ Quality Engineering team, promoting professional growth, fostering a collaborative environment , modeling ethical conduct and inclusion.
• Provide Mission Assurance leadership for hardware programs from proposal through production and sustainment, including development and execution of program quality plans tailored to program phase, contract requirements, and risk profile.
• Routinely prepare and brief senior company leadership and senior customer (USG) leadership on complex quality and operational issues.
• Ensure that all quality and mission assurance contractual deliverables (e.g., plans, reports, data packages, FAI/PPAP submissions) are accurately prepared, reviewed and delivered in accordance with program schedules.
• Ensure that Quality/Mission Assurance, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Supply Chain processes are consistent with applicable quality management standards and customer requirements.  (e.g.: AS9100, AS9145 and ISO 9001.)
• Lead and facilitate effective Root Cause and Corrective Actions (RCCA) investigations using appropriate quality tools (ex.: fishbone diagrams, Fault Tree analysis, 5-why analysis, 8D, etc.) ensuring durable corrective and preventive actions.
• Track, analyze, and own program quality metrics (e.g. defects, escapes, yield, rework, supplier performance), provide inputs for monthly reporting, and present quality performance and trends to program and functional leadership.  
• Drive continuous improvements to reduce defects, improve yield, and streamline quality and mission assurance processes across internal production and the supply base.
• Actively monitor non-conformances, Material Review Board (MRB) and corrective actions to ensure timely and effective dispositions and closure, including coordination with customers as required.
• Perform functional responsibilities including staffing and workload planning, performance management, training and development, and budgeting for the Mission Assurance team.
• Champion Lean,  Agile, Six Sigma, and Digital Transformation initiatives within the Mission Assurance and Operations organizations, including the deployment of data-driven tools, dashboards, and standard work.
• Represent Mission Assurance in proposals, gate reviews, and customer audits/assessments, clearly articulating quality strategies, risks, and mitigation plans for hardware programs.

The selected candidate must be a collaborative and effective leader with the ability to influence at all levels and must have demonstrated leadership skills leading multi-function and technical working groups while directly contributing to programs and proposals. The candidate must have a track record in mentoring and developing the skill sets of their teams, and driving change across organizations with successful, quantified business results. The candidate must be able to establish strong, collaborative, working relationships with Operations (Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain, and Engineering,) business leaders and customer quality representatives.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 9 years of experience; Master’s with 7 years of experience, PhD with 4 years of experience.
• Mission Assurance, Quality Assurance, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing, Hardware Engineering, and/or Program Management experience.
• Minimum 5 years of Leadership experience (people leader and/or technical leadership of multi-function teams)
• Extensive Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) experience with demonstrated implementation of effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Demonstrated experience working within or managing AS 9145, AS9100 or ISO 9001/9000 quality management systems.
• Demonstrated experience working with US Government customers (DCMA, Army Contracting Command, Integrated Fires Mission Command, etc.)
• Active Department of Defense secret clearance.
• Must be able to work onsite in Huntsville, Alabama, and support occasional travel to suppliers and customer locations as required.
• Support Earned Value Management System (EVMS)/Control Account Manager (CAM) responsibilities including the planning, coordination, and achievement of all work within a Control Account

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5 years of experience as a Quality Manager,  Mission Assurance, or similar leadership role supporting hardware development and/or production.
• Experience with Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) Experience and Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) for hardware products.
• Lean Agile and/or Six Sigma certification(e.g., Green Belt, Black Belt) with demonstrated application to quality or manufacturing process improvements.
• Material Review Board (MRB) Experience, including hardware nonconformance disposition and customer-facing coordination
• Experience with digital quality and data analysis tools (e.g., MES, SAP/ERP, statistical analysis tools, dashboards) to drive data-driven decisions.
• Experience leading cross-functional investigations and corrective actions involving suppliers, manufacturing, and engineering for complex hardware issues.