Principal Engineer Quality (Second Shift)

Northrop Grumman•Baltimore, MD

11d•$98,900 - $148,300•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is looking for a Principal Quality Engineer to join their team on-site in Baltimore, MD. This is a second shift position. The role involves developing, modifying, applying, and maintaining quality evaluation and control systems for product manufacturing. The engineer will partner with engineering and manufacturing to uphold quality standards, design and implement inspection and testing processes, and conduct quality assurance tests. Responsibilities include auditing quality systems, identifying deficiencies, driving corrective actions, and removing barriers to quality improvement through root-cause analysis. The position requires reviewing contracts and standards, interfacing with production-floor roles, defining quality characteristics, managing nonconformances, and using quality-control tools. The engineer will also interpret technical drawings, apply benchmarking techniques, and facilitate team collaboration. Specialization may be required in areas such as design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation, reliability, inventory control, or R&D as they apply to product or process quality.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science Degree in a related STEM field with a minimum of 5 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work, performing technical job functions; OR a Master's degree in a related STEM field with a minimum of 3 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions; OR a PhD in a related STEM field with a minimum of 1 year of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work, performing technical job functions.
Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods and techniques.
Experience mentoring employees.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
US Citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Microelectronics
Experience in at least one of the following standards (IPC, J-Std, MIL-STD)
Experience with ISO9001 or AS9100 Quality Management System and AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI).
Green/Black Belt Certified in Lean Six-sigma.
Certified in Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies
Certified auditor
Experience Facilitating RCCAs with technical groups
SAP Experience
Active DoD Secret Clearance
Experience leading cross-functional teams to resolve problems or issues.
Experience using Microsoft Excel, Minitab or equivalent tools for statistical analysis.
Experience with modern skillsets such as Artificial Intelligence, SQL, Power BI to aid in data analysis and data visualization
Experience with FMEAs, CARs, and audit processes.
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)
Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC‑A‑610
Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC/WHMA‑A‑620

Responsibilities

Develop, modify, apply, and maintain quality evaluation, control systems, and protocols for processing materials into semi-finished or finished products.
Partner with engineering and manufacturing to establish and uphold quality standards.
Design, analyze, and implement inspection and testing processes and equipment; conduct quality assurance tests, perform statistical analyses to determine cost and responsibility for non-conforming parts.
Audit quality systems, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions that meet reliability and documentation requirements; plan, conduct, report, and follow‑up on audits to ensure compliance and continual process improvement.
Identify and remove barriers to quality improvement through root‑cause analysis and corrective‑action planning.
Review contracts/SOWs/drawings to evaluate, interpret and apply company policies, ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC, and other standards applicable to designs and processes.
Interface with production‑floor roles (inspection, assembly, operations) and communicate clearly with all stakeholders.
Define, classify, and control quality characteristics for products, processes, and services; develop and validate control plans and work‑instruction updates.
Manage nonconformances across the facility; lead cross‑functional containments to ensure product compliance.
Create, use and interpret quality‑control tools (flowcharts, Pareto, control charts) and construct/interpret FMEAs.
Interpret technical drawings and specifications, including GD&T symbols, to verify compliance with design requirements.
Apply benchmarking techniques to drive system‑wide quality improvements.
Facilitate team collaboration with brainstorming, conflict‑resolution, and other facilitation tools.
Specialize as needed in design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation, reliability, inventory control, or R&D as they apply to product or process quality.