Manager Propulsion Engineering 3
About The Position
Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a highly qualified candidate with outstanding technical and leadership skills to support the Tactical Propulsion Engineering Department at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, WV. Propulsion Engineering Manager 3 provides strategic and day‑to‑day leadership for the Propulsion Engineering Service Group. This group delivers end‑to‑end technical expertise across Ballistic Engineering, Analysis Engineering, System Engineering, Test Engineering, and Design Modeling. The incumbent will drive technical excellence, ensure alignment with program objectives, and foster an innovative, safety‑focused culture that delivers high‑performance propulsion solutions on schedule and within budget.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field.
- Minimum 15 years of solid propulsion engineering experience, with minimum 5 years in a supervisory/leadership role.
- Deep knowledge of ballistics, fluid/thermal analysis, system integration, test planning, and design modeling tools.
- Demonstrated ability to lead multi‑disciplinary teams, manage budgets, and influence senior stakeholders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel up to 15% of the time for customer site visits, testing, conferences, and onsite reviews.
- Minimum Secret Clearance.
- U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
Nice To Haves
- Minimum 18 years of solid propulsion engineering experience, with minimum 8 years in a supervisory/leadership role.
- Prior involvement in technology transition from R&D to production.
Responsibilities
- Directly supervise functional managers and oversee ~80 engineers/technicians.
- Mentor, coach, and develop staff; conduct performance reviews and succession planning.
- Champion a collaborative, inclusive environment that emphasizes continuous improvement.
- Enforce adherence to safety regulations, export control requirements, and applicable aerospace standards (e.g., AS9100, ISO‑9001).
- Develop and manage the annual budget for the service group (personnel, tools, external services).
- Allocate staffing and equipment to meet project milestones; track cost performance and implement corrective actions as needed.
- Set technical direction and priorities for all five sub‑domains (Ballistic, Analysis, System, Test, Design Modeling).
- Ensure rigorous application of engineering standards, verification & validation (V&V) processes, and configuration management.
- Review critical design documents, test plans, and analysis reports; approve key technical deliverables.
- Serve as a voting member on design and testing engineering review boards.
- Publish and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and technical papers within the enterprise.
- Lead initiatives on advanced modeling tools, high‑fidelity simulations, and data‑driven test methodologies.
- Provide accurate technical status, risk assessments, and resource forecasts for senior leadership.
- Coordinate cross‑functional interfaces to resolve technical risks.
- Partner with Program Management to translate mission requirements into propulsion system architectures.
- Present technical briefings to customers, government agencies, and partner organizations.
Benefits
- Relocation assistance may be available.
- health insurance coverage
- life and disability insurance
- savings plan
- Company paid holidays
- paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
- overtime
- shift differential
- discretionary bonus
- Long Term Incentives (for VP or Director positions)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
