(SDS) Propulsion SMT Technical Lead - 19768

Northrop Grumman•Manhattan Beach, CA

3d•$166,500 - $289,200•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems sector is seeking a Supplier Management Team Technical Lead for the Aerojet propulsion subcontract. The position is based at the Strategic Deterrence Division headquarters in Roy, Utah, and may also be filled in Manhattan Beach, California, or Huntsville, Alabama. The role leads a cross-functional technical team and serves as the program’s primary engineering point of contact for Aerojet, ensuring supplier technical activities align with the program technical baseline and that supplier deliverables are successfully integrated. The Technical Lead works with Program Element and Segment Executives, Global Supply Chain, Mission Assurance, the Office of the Chief Engineer, and other stakeholders to drive technical excellence and rigor. The position requires travel of 50% or more to interface with leadership, customers, suppliers, and program milestones, including travel among Roy, Huntsville, and Manhattan Beach. The standard schedule is 9/80: nine-hour days Monday through Thursday, with every other Friday off. Relocation assistance may be available. The successful candidate will bring substantial engineering experience, including liquid propulsion design and manufacturing experience, and knowledge of systems engineering and acquisition lifecycle practices. U.S. citizenship is required, along with the ability to obtain a Secret clearance after starting and to obtain and maintain Special Program Access.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline and 14 years of related engineering experience; or a master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 12 years of related engineering experience; or a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline and 10 years of related engineering experience.
Willingness and ability to travel 50% or more among Roy, Huntsville, Manhattan Beach, and other locations.
Five years of design and manufacturing experience in liquid propulsion systems.
Experience working with technology supported by Aerojet, such as aerospace electronic systems, communications systems, and/or liquid propulsion systems.
Experience with the systems engineering V and different phases of the acquisition lifecycle, from requirements development through acceptance testing.
Experience managing a technical baseline.
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a Secret security clearance after starting.
Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (SAP/PAR).

Nice To Haves

Active DoD Top Secret clearance with a background investigation within the past six years or enrollment in Continuous Evaluation.
Prior supplier management experience on a program in the development phase.
Experience evaluating supplier proposals and conducting subsequent contract negotiations.
Experience managing technical risks and opportunities.
Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) or serving as a control account manager (CAM).

Responsibilities

Lead technical oversight of Aerojet as the program’s main engineering point of contact.
Align supplier technical activities with the overall program technical baseline and verify successful integration of supplier technical deliverables.
Travel to interface with leadership, customers, suppliers, and program milestones.
Develop Aerojet Statements of Work in collaboration with technical and programmatic stakeholders.
Assist the Program and Supplier Management Team Lead in generating technical content for Aerojet RFIs, RFPs, and related requests.
Conduct technical evaluations of Aerojet proposals and support negotiations with the Program and Supplier Management Team Lead.
Review and approve Aerojet technical subcontractor deliverables with guidance from applicable cross-functional program subject matter experts.
Partner with the Supplier Management Team Lead to align Aerojet technical objectives with program cost and schedule constraints.
Establish and track Aerojet technical goals and commitments to drive maturity and high-quality execution.
Manage and mitigate technical execution risks by monitoring Aerojet performance against metrics and addressing capability gaps.
Oversee and maintain the supplier management technical action item tracker to facilitate communication and accountability with Aerojet.