Principal Engineer Quality

Northrop Grumman • San Diego, CA

2d • $103,600 - $155,400 • Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Principal Engineer Quality to support the F-22 Program at its manufacturing site in San Diego, California. The role provides quality support to an Integrated Product Team, with work focused on Material Review as part of the Nonconforming Material Control process, corrective actions and root-cause investigations, and quality data analysis and reporting.

The position develops and maintains quality evaluation and control systems, partners with engineering and manufacturing to uphold quality standards, and designs and implements inspection and testing processes. It audits quality systems, drives corrective actions and continual improvement, manages facility nonconformances, and leads cross-functional containment efforts. The role also evaluates contracts, statements of work, drawings, specifications, and applicable company and industry standards; develops and validates control plans and work-instruction updates; and communicates with production-floor personnel and other stakeholders. Quality specialization may include design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation, reliability, inventory control, or R&D, as applicable to product or process quality.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or another STEM-related field and 5 years of Manufacturing, Quality Engineering, or Quality Analyst experience; or a master’s degree in Engineering or another STEM-related field and 3 years of such experience.
• Experience with process adherence to QMS standards such as ISO 9001 or AS9100.
• Experience with inspection methods and Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility (GR&R).
• Experience with Preliminary or Material Review Board processes and dispositioning material in a manufacturing facility.
• Experience with data analytics and statistical analysis methods and techniques.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
• U.S. citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

• Aerospace, Electrical, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering background or experience.
• Experience with at least one of the following standards: IPC, J-Std, or MIL-STD.
• Experience with AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI).
• Green Belt or Black Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma.
• Certification in Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Certified auditor.
• Experience facilitating root-cause and corrective-action investigations (RCCAs) with technical groups.
• SAP experience.
• Active Secret clearance.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams to resolve problems or issues.
• Experience mentoring employees.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel, Minitab, or equivalent tools for statistical analysis.
• Experience with Artificial Intelligence, SQL, or Power BI for data analysis and 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 and 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 and statistical analyses concerning nonconforming parts.
• Audit quality systems, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions that meet reliability and documentation requirements; plan, conduct, report, and follow up on audits for compliance and continual improvement.
• Identify and remove barriers to quality improvement through root-cause analysis and corrective-action planning.
• Review contracts, statements of work, and drawings to evaluate, interpret, and apply company policies and applicable standards, including ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, and IPC standards.
• Interface with production-floor roles, including inspection, assembly, and operations, and communicate clearly with stakeholders.
• Define, classify, and control quality characteristics for products, processes, and services; develop and validate control plans and work-instruction updates.
• Manage facility nonconformances and lead cross-functional containment efforts to ensure product compliance.
• Create, use, and interpret quality-control tools such as flowcharts, Pareto charts, and control charts; construct and 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 using 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 applied to product or process quality.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life insurance.
• Disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
• Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus.

What This Job Offers

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