At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has openings for an Associate/Tooling Engineer Level 1/2 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position is located in Iuka, Mississippi (Note: Must be willing and able to start on A shift until U.S. Government clearance and Special Program Access (SPA) are obtained; upon receipt of both, transition to B shift.
This position will support the B Shift: Mon – Thur, 5:30 PM – 4:00 AM; (schedule is approximate and includes a 30 minute, unpaid lunch break)
Our team designs Tooling to support Aerospace composite part fabrication, handling, and assembly for the commercial and defense aerospace industries. Engineers get the opportunity to manage their work from design concept thru implementation. Our Tooling Team works independently, but interacts closely with safety, engineering, manufacturing, and customers to achieve expectations.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Provides disposition for discrepant tooling
- Supervises and supports critical production builds involving technical tooling processes
- Provides communication between A-shift and B-shift operations to support continuous movement of production critical tasks
- Supports metrology, tooling transportation and tooling maintenance efforts to facilitate program execution
Secondary Responsibilities:
- Supports the tool design group with off-load design projects and tasks which include 3D modeling, 2D drafting and checking
- Manages tooling projects/assignments from concept thru implementation, to provide production quality aerospace tooling in support of development and production programs.
- Manages external Tooling Design/Fabrication Shops on Design/Build projects
- Concepts and designs special tooling within an Integrated Product Team (IPT) structure
- Uses and/or manages Computer Aided Design (CAD) resources for tooling design (primarily NX)
- Works with vendors to ensure successful fabrication of tooling
- Witnesses/approves source inspection of special tooling at supplier locations before acceptance
- Proofs tooling upon receipt in a production environment
- Maintains tooling documentation related to design, analysis, fabrication, and proofing
- Provides tooling cost/schedule estimates for new tools and or tooling modifications
- Documents stress analysis of tools for compliance to requirements
- Uses Microsoft applications to communicate and present tooling progress
Our team enjoys a fast-paced work environment with high expectations, diverse assignments, and collaboration with internal and external customers. We work closely with manufacturing engineers, CAD designers, safety, and operations. We pride ourselves in coming up with new ways to provide tooling that is safe, cost effective, and operationally efficient.
This role may be filled at the Associate Engineer (Level 1) or Engineer (Level 2) based on the qualifications outlined below.
Basic Qualifications:
Associate Tooling Engineer (Level 1)
- Bachelors Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and a minimum of 0 years experience
- Ability to obtain and maintain Active U.S. Government Clearance within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Must be willing and able to start on A shift until U.S. Government clearance and Special Program Access (SPA) are obtained; upon receipt of both, transition to B shift.
- Experience with project management and communication skills
Tooling Engineer (Level 2)
- Bachelors Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and a minimum of 1 years of relevant engineering experience; or Masters Degree in STEM discipline and 0 years of engineering experience
- Ability to obtain and maintain Active U.S. Government Clearance within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Must be willing and able to start on A shift until U.S. Government clearance and Special Program Access (SPA) are obtained; upon receipt of both, transition to B shift.
- Experience in design, fabrication and implementation of tooling used in the manufacture of composite parts
- Experience with project management and communication skills
- Experience with general metallic fabrication including welding and machining
- Experience with 3D CAD systems
- Experience with creating free-body-diagrams and analyzing tooling for allowable stress and fatigue
Preferred Qualifications:
- BS in Mechanical, Aerospace or Civil Engineering
- Active DoD Secret Security Clearance
- Experience in an aerospace manufacturing environment
- Experience with tooling for composites manufacturing and handling
- NX experience
- FEA experience
- Experience in design of molds, machining fixtures, handling, and assembly tools for composite manufacturing
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline
- Minimum 0 years relevant experience (Level 1) or minimum 1 year relevant engineering experience (Level 2)
- Ability to obtain and maintain Active U.S. Government Clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (SPA/PAR)
- Willingness and ability to start on A shift and transition to B shift
- Experience with project management and communication skills
- Experience in design, fabrication and implementation of tooling for composite parts
- Experience with general metallic fabrication including welding and machining
- Experience with 3D CAD systems (modeling, drafting, checking)
- Experience creating free-body diagrams and analyzing tooling for allowable stress and fatigue
- Ability to manage vendor tooling design/fabrication and perform source inspection/witnessing
- Maintain tooling documentation and provide tooling cost/schedule estimates
- BS in Mechanical, Aerospace or Civil Engineering
- Active DoD Secret Security Clearance
- Experience in an aerospace manufacturing environment
- NX experience
- FEA experience
- Experience designing molds, machining fixtures, handling and assembly tools for composite manufacturing
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
-
Retirement Support — 401(k) matching is considered strong, with additional defined-benefit coverage for certain cohorts and options like catch-up contributions. Retirement programs are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the total rewards.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO, company-paid holidays, and compressed work schedules (such as 9/80) provide meaningful time away and flexibility. These scheduling options are cited as a major quality-of-life benefit across many locations.
-
Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave alongside caregiver leave, adoption assistance, and back-up care supports a range of family needs. These programs have been expanded recently, signaling continued investment in family support.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.







