Manager Aeronautical Engineering 2 - Liaison Engineering

Northrop Grumman•Palmdale, CA

13d•$161,100 - $241,700•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is hiring a Manager Aeronautical Engineering 2 to lead Liaison Engineering for the F-35 program within the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence (PAICoE). This onsite leadership role is based in Palmdale, California, and reports to the Vehicle Engineering Liaison Engineering Department Manager. The Section Manager will lead a growing team of approximately 15–20 Liaison Engineers and help ensure aircraft build quality by driving dispositions of nonconforming metallic and composite parts and assemblies, as well as subsystem nonconformances. Approximately 20% of the role is devoted to functional leadership, including recruiting, staffing, retaining talent, leading weekly team meetings, conducting bi-weekly one-on-one discussions, and driving performance reviews. The manager will partner with the department manager to support the NGAS Community of Practice and advance common processes and best practices. Deep knowledge of Liaison Engineering is expected; subject matter expertise is preferred. CATIA and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) experience is strongly preferred. The role requires the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable time as determined by business needs. Relocation assistance may be available. Travel is 10% of the time. The primary salary range is $161,100–$241,700. Employees may also be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus. Benefits include health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, company-paid holidays, and paid time off.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 9 years of related professional or military experience, or a Master of Science degree and 7 years of related professional or military experience.
Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
Experience in a technical leadership or management role.
Experience with Teamcenter, CATIA V5, and/or NX-CAD.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Civil Engineering (Structures) with a design emphasis.
Experience with CATIA and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
Expert knowledge of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
Knowledge of NGC best design practices and applicable processes.
Demonstrated affordability approaches in structural designs, including integration of platform build sequences and designing for manufacturing.
Five years of aircraft or spacecraft design experience, including clean-sheet airframe layout, detailed drawing releases, and build support.
Active, in-scope U.S. Government Secret clearance.
Ability to obtain a U.S. Government Top Secret clearance.
Ability to obtain and maintain SSBI and/or Special Program Access.
Experience in staffing forecasting.
Experience with the full life cycle of an air/space vehicle design process.
Recent experience as a structural design lead.
Team player with demonstrated exceptional collaboration.
Material Review Board (MRB) Authority.

Responsibilities

Provide day-to-day leadership for approximately 15–20 Liaison Engineers supporting the F-35 program at PAICoE.
Maintain staffing forecasts and align staffing levels, skill mix, and shift coverage with current and forecast program demand.
Provide technical and process oversight for the Liaison Engineering team and serve as the primary escalation point for complex nonconformance issues.
Recruit, staff, and retain talent; lead weekly team meetings; conduct bi-weekly one-on-one discussions; and drive performance reviews.
Partner with the Vehicle Engineering Liaison Engineering Department Manager to support the NGAS Community of Practice and advance common processes and best practices.
Drive disposition of nonconforming metallic and composite parts and assemblies, as well as subsystem nonconformance, to support aircraft build quality.