Principal Engineer Quality

Northrop Grumman•Salt Lake City, UT

2d•$89,400 - $134,200•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Principal Engineer Quality to provide product-focused quality leadership for the NIMS program in Salt Lake City, Utah. The role owns and executes the Sell-Off / End Item Data Package (EIDP) process and provides quality engineering support throughout the product lifecycle. The engineer works with engineering, program management, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer representatives to ensure quality requirements are defined, flowed down, and verified from incoming material through final product acceptance. The position serves as the primary quality contact for NIMS Sell-Off / EIDP activities, leads or supports customer Sell-Off events, and coordinates with Systems, Test, Manufacturing, and Software Engineering to ensure requirements traceability and complete, accurate objective evidence. It also supports MRB and nonconformance management, receiving inspection, supplier-material disposition, product and process quality, corrective action, program quality planning, reviews, metrics, audits, and mentoring of early-career quality engineers. The role requires customer and internal collaboration, proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance. Travel is 10% of the time. No relocation assistance is available. The primary-level salary range is $89,400–$134,200. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus. Benefits include health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, company-paid holidays, and paid time off.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in a STEM field and at least 5 years of experience in Quality Assurance, failure investigation and root-cause identification, or a relevant technical role in manufacturing, process, electrical, or mechanical engineering; alternatively, a master's degree with at least 3 years of experience.
Experience in hardware product quality, systems quality, or manufacturing quality in an aerospace/defense or similarly regulated environment.
Experience supporting MRB processes and nonconformance management, including documenting defects and participating in MRB or similar review activities.
Experience with a quality management system such as AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar.
Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, test procedures, and requirements documents.
Experience with digital quality systems, such as nonconformance/MRB tools or PLM/ERP systems.
U.S. citizenship.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance.
Ability to communicate and collaborate in a team environment and interface with customers, internal personnel, and suppliers.
Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience developing and executing EIDPs/Sell-Off packages for government contracting customers.
Experience with Receiving Inspection or supplier quality activities, such as incoming inspection, supplier defects, or return-to-vendor.
Experience with configuration management and as-built/as-maintained traceability.
Experience with IPC-A-610, IPC-J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-7711/7721, or relevant UL/IEC electrical safety and insulation standards.
Green Belt, Black Belt, CQE, or other relevant quality certification.
Experience leading cross-functional teams, influencing without direct authority, and driving closure of complex issues under schedule pressure.
Current active Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary quality point of contact for NIMS Sell-Off / EIDP activities in Salt Lake City.
Plan, develop, and maintain Sell-Off / EIDP content, including configuration listings, as-built records, test data, inspection reports, material certifications, waivers/deviations, and other required artifacts.
Interpret customer, contractual, and internal quality requirements; flow them into program plans and verify them at product acceptance.
Lead or support customer Sell-Off events, including agenda preparation, package walk-throughs, discrepancy resolution, and formal acceptance documentation.
Coordinate with Systems, Test, Manufacturing, and Software Engineering to ensure requirements traceability and complete, accurate objective evidence.
Support the MRB process for NIMS hardware by reviewing nonconformances, participating in MRB activities, and ensuring dispositions align with engineering, quality, and contractual requirements.
Work with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to evaluate and disposition nonconforming product, including use-as-is, repair, and scrap decisions, with appropriate documentation and traceability.
Support Receiving Inspection by reviewing and supporting inspection plans, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria for incoming material and supplier hardware.
Support the Vendor Material Disposition Area (VMDA), including segregation, tagging, disposition, and documentation of nonconforming supplier material.
Collaborate with manufacturing and test organizations to ensure build records, test data, nonconformance documentation, and rework/repair records meet program and customer expectations.
Identify, document, and help close nonconformances, defects, and escapes associated with product acceptance and EIDPs.
Support or lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) using structured problem-solving methods such as 5-Why, Fishbone, and 8D, and help ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented and sustained.
Develop and maintain program-level quality plans, inspection plans, and acceptance data requirements for NIMS, from incoming inspection through final Sell-Off.
Provide quality input to program reviews, including design, production readiness, and gate reviews, and deliver concise quality status to leadership and the customer.
Analyze quality metrics and trends related to nonconformances, rework, supplier performance, and acceptance issues; recommend and help implement improvements.
Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits and assessments related to product quality, configuration, and documentation.
Mentor early-career quality engineers and serve as a technical resource for product acceptance, MRB, and EIDP practices.
Communicate and collaborate in a team environment and interface with customers, internal personnel, and suppliers.