Energetics Manufacturing Engineer - level 3/4

Northrop Grumman•Elkton, MD

3d•$108,800 - $203,600•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) facility in Elkton, Maryland designs, develops, and produces solid-propellant propulsion and ordnance systems. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities. This role is for a Principal or Sr. Principal Industrial Engineer who will analyze and design sequences of operations, workflows, and equipment layouts to drive efficiency, throughput, and producibility in plant and SRM production operations. The engineer will establish methods for maximum utilization of production facilities and personnel, lead continuous improvement activities, and use data-driven tools and MES integration to eliminate bottlenecks, standardize processes/metrics, and sustain improvements. The role also involves conducting studies on cost control, cost reduction, inventory control, quality improvement, optimized logistics and material handling practices, and production record systems, and developing and implementing plans for facility modifications and revisions to operating methods. The position can rapidly grow into a CI/producibility champion, and shop-systems expert.

Requirements

Strong industrial engineering & operations background with demonstrated impact in manufacturing/production environments. (e.g., standards development, workflow analysis, line balancing, layout optimization, simulation, statistical analysis and forecasting).
Regularly apply ingenuity and creativity to resolve novel or high impact issues in manufacturing, cost, and safety performance.
Demonstrated ability to translate analytical results into practical, implementable improvements in production operations.
Works under general direction with significant independence in determining and developing approaches to solutions.
Ability to clearly communicate technical approaches and influence cross‑functional teams, prioritize high‑ROI improvements, and drive closure on actions.
Represents the organization in providing solutions to challenging technical issues associated with specific projects and production operations.
Basic Qualifications for Principal (level 3): Must have a bachelors degree in STEM and at least 5 years of experience. Will consider those with a masters degree and at least 3 years of experience.
Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal (level 4): Must have a bachelors degree in STEM and at least 8 years of experience. Will consider those with a masters degree and at least 6 years of experience.
The ability to obtain a secret clearance, US citizenship is a pre-requisite.
Experience leading process mapping and optimization efforts
Experience with work measurement and standard work methodologies
Execution of lean or six-sigma projects
Experience leading multi-area or site-level process mapping and optimization efforts
Leadership/mentorship of early career engineers
Strategic execution of work measurements, standard work, and lean or six-sigma initiatives

Nice To Haves

Bachelors and/or masters degree in Industrial Engineering
Active secret or higher clearance.

Responsibilities

Analyze and design sequences of operations, workflows, and equipment layouts (using VSM, line balancing, capacity/utilization analysis) to improve efficiency, throughput, and remove bottlenecks.
Establish methods and standards to maximize utilization of production facilities, equipment, and personnel, including manpower planning, skill matrices, recovery scheduling, and TPM/L2L maintenance concepts.
Conduct studies related to cost control, cost reduction, inventory control, quality improvement, and production record systems, and translate findings into practical, implementable solutions.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives (Kaizen/AIW, 5S/POU, standard work, TPM, RCCA/defect analysis) to improve safety, plan vs. actual performance, schedule adherence, quality yield, rework, and backlog.
Use CORE, Tableau, MES data, and simulation tools (e.g., FlexSim) to create visual shop metrics and drive data‑based decisions, forecasting, and improvement roadmaps.
Develop and implement facility and operating method changes; support accident prevention and safety improvements.
Lead cross‑functional workshops and training to standardize and sustain improvements across manufacturing, facilities, safety, quality, and supply chain.
Understand manufacturing systems architectures, and recommend/drive improvement efforts to streamline to help drive data driven decisions.