Manufacturing Operations Manager 3

Northrop Grumman • Elkton, MD

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman is hiring a Manager of Production Operations 3 to lead major manufacturing and high-rate production value streams at its Propulsion Systems and Controls facility in Elkton, Maryland. The role has senior leadership responsibility for multi-shift processing areas and campus-wide operational efficiency, continuous improvement, and achievement of safety, quality, and financial targets across defense programs involving solid rocket motors, hypersonics, and ordnance systems.

The manager leads and develops production and machining managers, technicians, and machinists, and connects shop-floor execution with program offices and executive leadership. The Elkton facility designs, develops, and produces solid-propellant propulsion and ordnance systems for government and commercial customers, and supports offsite engineering and test facilities.

The position requires the ability to obtain a Secret clearance; U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite. It is also subject to a Federal Explosives License requirement, including submission of an Employee Possessor Questionnaire to ATF for approval. Travel is 10% of the time, and relocation assistance may be available.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of progressive experience in a manufacturing or engineering environment, or a master’s degree and at least 8 years of progressive experience in such an environment.
• At least 8 years of successful employee leadership experience, including management of organizations of 50 or more people.
• Ability to obtain a Secret clearance; U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, with demonstrated ability to work with and satisfy internal and external customers.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Complete and submit an Employee Possessor Questionnaire to ATF for approval to be a possessor, as required for this Federal Explosives License-regulated position.

Nice To Haves

• Degrees in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, or Industrial Engineering, or Business Administration.
• Master’s degree or MBA.
• Experience developing and managing schedules and budgets, with fluency in earned value management.
• Experience with MRP demand-driven operations management systems such as SAP.
• LEAN Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Experience implementing affordability initiatives that improve product quality, reduce overall cost, or improve schedule.
• Experience supporting Root Cause & Corrective Action analysis using methods such as fault trees, Kepner Trego analysis, and 5 Whys.
• Experience transitioning new products into production using APQP, Stage-Gate, or MRL frameworks.
• Active Secret or higher clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own and promote a zero-harm shop-floor safety culture, enforcing OSHA regulations, environmental policies, internal safety programs, DoD ordnance safety rules, and explosive-handling requirements.
• Maintain quality management systems, monitor defect rates, lead root-cause investigations, champion Material Review Boards, and ensure compliance with defense specifications.
• Direct large-scale manufacturing operations, including energetic material mixing, casting, machining, and final assembly; coordinate shifts and allocate resources to meet delivery and production goals.
• Apply lean manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, and Six Sigma methods to reduce waste and costs and improve machine and labor productivity.
• Partner with Quality Assurance, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Human Resources to resolve production bottlenecks and safely introduce new products.
• Hire, train, schedule, and evaluate managers, supervisors, technicians, and manufacturing support personnel.
• Develop production-floor leaders through mentoring, performance reviews, and succession planning.
• Work with management and workforce teams to address operational challenges, build morale, and foster accountability.
• Develop and oversee operating budgets, capital expenditures, and labor and material cost accounts.
• Prepare Bases of Estimates for proposals and manage operations scope within Earned Value Management System frameworks, tracking cost and schedule variances.
• Track and report KPIs for safety, production, quality, scrap, asset downtime, and labor efficiency.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off for vacation and/or personal business.
• Employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus, depending on the position.
• Relocation assistance may be available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager