Our Leaders at Northrop Grumman live our values daily and encourage our teams to do the same. We do the right thing: upholding the highest ethical standards and facilitating a safe and respectful environment that attracts, retains, and inspires a diverse and engaged team. We do what we promise: holding yourself and others accountable to meet predictable and balanced results. We commit to shared success: operating as OneNG and removing barriers for our teams. Finally, we pioneer: setting a vision that shapes the future and inspires others.
Northrop Grumman Defense Systems Sector is seeking a Contracts Manager 3 to lead a Contracts team to support growth within the Propulsion & Controls Operating Unit - Air and Market Defense organization. This leadership role is based on-site in Elkton, MD. The selected candidate will report directly to the Contracts Director for the Propulsion Systems & Controls Business Unit.
In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for all aspects of the contracts portfolio delivering strong customer satisfaction, successful financial performance, risk mitigation, change management, and new business strategy. Additionally, the successful candidate will be responsible for the direct supervision and management of a team of contract administrators.
Essential Functions:
- This position will provide leadership, support, professional development, and training to a team of contracts professionals.
- The candidate will collaborate across functions to advise and support competitive and sole source Request for Proposals (RFPs), Non‑Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), and Teaming Agreements and will need to have knowledge of International Traffic and Arms Regulations (ITAR)
- This position will ensure compliance with company policies, legal requirements, and customer specifications
- The candidate will also be an advisor to the OU and BU on contractual rights and obligations, to include risk mitigation. Candidate should be able to compile and analyze data, maintain historical information, and engage in strategic priorities as needed
- May be required to travel to support customer and company engagements.
- This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 8 years of professional experience. Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of degree.
- Ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance
- Strong technical acumen in contract management
- Strong technical acumen in M365
- An in-depth knowledge of FAR, DFAR and experience with different contract types
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to use them in informing, presenting, and negotiating to all levels of management.
- Strong problem solving and analytical skills; ability to make recommendations and effectively bring projects to completion
Preferred Qualifications:
- Active Secret or Top-Secret clearance
- 5+ Years Management experience
- Experience supporting USG DoD Development and Production Contracts
- Extensive Proposal Support experience
- NCMA Certification (CPCM, CFCM and/or CCCM)
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of professional experience, or master’s degree with 8 years of professional experience; an additional 4+ years may substitute for the degree
- Ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance
- Strong technical acumen in contract management
- Strong technical acumen in Microsoft 365
- In-depth knowledge of FAR, DFARS, and different contract types
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including informing, presenting, and negotiating with all management levels
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to make recommendations and complete projects
- Active Secret or Top Secret clearance
- At least 5 years of management experience
- Experience supporting U.S. Government Department of Defense development and production contracts
- Extensive proposal support experience
- NCMA certification such as CPCM, CFCM, or CCCM
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.








