Principal or Senior Principal Operations Project Manager

Northrop Grumman•Charlottesville, VA

4d•$89,400 - $167,500•Onsite

About The Position

At Northrop Grumman, we are seeking a Principal or Senior Principal Operations Project Manager (OPM) to support production and manufacturing operations at our Central Virginia manufacturing facilities. The OPM will serve as the primary manufacturing and operations liaison to Program Management, Engineering, Supply Chain, Mission Assurance, and Business Management for one or more production programs. This role is crucial for driving large-scale manufacturing success by integrating cost, schedule, and technical performance, leading cross-functional execution and continuous improvement in a fast-paced production environment. A current clearance is not required to apply to and interview for this job. If an offer is accepted, the clearance process will begin immediately, with the start date confirmed upon obtaining an Interim Secret clearance, which typically takes about 30 days.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations or project/program management OR Master’s degree with minimum of 3 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations or project/program management (for Principal level).
Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 8 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations or project/program management OR Master’s degree with minimum of 6 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, operations or project/program management (for Senior Principal level).
Experiences across relevant disciplines (Manufacturing, Program Management, Quality, Supply Chain, Engineering, etc.).
Experience leading programs/projects or IPT/CAM activities, delivering on cost, schedule, and technical requirements.
Experience in fast-paced manufacturing and/or development environments managing complex program execution and cross-functional teams.
Working knowledge of manufacturing execution systems (e.g., SAP, Solumina) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems.
Experience managing program execution, including schedule creation, tracking, and adherence.
Strong financial acumen in project/budget management and process control.
Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret Security clearance and higher-level program clearance(s). Interim Secret clearance is required to start.
US citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Business Management, Business Administration, Communications or other related field.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Demonstrated leadership of complex production or development programs, including EVMS-based cost/schedule management and risk/opportunity management.
Experience leading large or multi-program cross-functional teams and resolving complex technical and operational issues.
Experience developing proposals.
Experience presenting to executives.
Experience with SAP or other Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in a manufacturing environment.
An active DoD Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary manufacturing operations interface to the Program Office and functional organizations for assigned programs.
Lead cross-functional Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, test, quality, finance, and mission assurance.
Own operations strategy and execution from proposal through delivery, ensuring cost, schedule, quality, and compliance objectives are met.
Act as operations CAM: manage baselines, EVMS metrics, Estimates at Complete, and weekly/monthly business management reporting.
Develop and maintain integrated manufacturing, integration, and test plans.
Coordinate material planning, production scheduling, and factory readiness (equipment, facilities, staffing, tooling) to meet delivery commitments.
Utilize manufacturing execution systems (e.g. ESI, Solumina) and MRP to ensure accurate WBS alignment, demand, and capacity planning.
Monitor and drive performance to operational KPIs (schedule adherence, yield, cycle time, WIP, labor/cost performance) and implement recovery plans as needed.
Lead risk and opportunity management, issue resolution, and RCCA activities with strong focus on compliance and meeting performance standards.
Drive continuous improvement (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, etc.), eliminating non-value-added activities and standardizing processes.
Coordinate and support manufacturing proposal inputs (BOEs, labor estimating, bid/resource codes, overhead/labor rates).
Provide clear, concise status and recommendations to program and functional leadership, customers, and other stakeholders.
Present program status to program and functional leaders, clearly communicating cost, schedule and technical updates and along with applicable action plans.