Engineering Director 2 Strategy & Operations

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 50% of the TimeDescription

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.

Defense Systems is seeking a Strategy & Operations Director 2 for the Engineering organization.  This senior leadership role will be responsible for driving operational excellence, strategic planning, cross-functional alignment, and organizational effectiveness across the Engineering organization. This role partners closely with Engineering leadership, HR, Finance, and other stakeholders to develop and execute strategic initiatives that improve delivery, scalability, workforce planning, governance, and business performance.

This role can be located in Roy, UT or Huntsville, AL.

Key Responsibilities include:

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Partner with Engineering leadership to develop and execute engineering strategy aligning with corporate and sector objectives
• Provide leadership and accountability of the annual and multi-year engineering strategy process end-to-end.  This includes environmental scanning and capability gap analysis through to a developed and prioritized strategic plan to create a unified strategy narrative with measurable OKRs tied to business outcomes
• Translate approved strategy into a prioritized execution roadmap.  Define initiative charters with explicit ownership, milestones, dependencies and success criteria.
• Develop and maintain engineering leadership scorecard.  This includes identification of both lagging and leading performance indicators that reflect strategic technical health across the organization
• Drive cross-functional initiatives that improve engineering effectiveness, operational maturity, and organizational scalability.

Engineering Operations

• Partner closely with the DS VP of Engineering to define, communicate, and execute priorities, and organizational rhythm
• Own the engineering leadership operating calendar.  Orchestrate staff meetings, OKR reviews, all-hands, planning offsites, and retrospectives for the engineering organization ensuring every forum has a clear purpose, decision authority and output.
• Responsible for successful day-to-day operations of the engineering team
• Establish engineering operations dashboard covering: delivery, throughput, trends, hiring and attrition, budget development & maintenance, and OKR progress
• Establish and optimize operational processes, governance frameworks, and reporting mechanisms across Engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain KPIs, dashboards, and performance metrics to measure delivery, quality, productivity, and organizational health.
• Identify operational risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Support release planning, portfolio management, and prioritization efforts.

Financial & Business Management

• Manage Engineering operating budgets, vendor relationships, software licensing, and investment planning.
• Partner with Business Management to forecast spending, track headcount, and ensure financial accountability.
• Support business cases for technology investments, tooling, and strategic initiatives.

Executive Communications & Governance

• Prepare executive-level presentations, operational reviews, board materials, and leadership communications.
• Facilitate leadership meetings, business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
• Ensure alignment between Engineering initiatives and broader company objectives.
• Drive accountability for action items, deliverables, and operational commitments.

Process Improvement & Transformation

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on operational efficiency, delivery optimization, and organizational effectiveness.
• Implement best practices in program management, agile operations, and engineering governance.
• Support mergers, acquisitions, integrations, or large-scale transformation efforts as needed.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or other STEM related degree.
• 10+ years of experience in strategy, operations, program execution, business operations, or engineering operations.
• 5+ years of experience supporting Engineering or Technology organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
• Experience with operational metrics, reporting, and strategic planning processes.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Active Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a high-growth technology or engineering organization.
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, SAFe, or related delivery frameworks.
• Experience with organizational transformation, scaling operations, or enterprise modernization initiatives.
• Knowledge of engineering productivity and delivery metrics. 
• Current Top Secret clearance

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Primary Level Salary Range: $209,000.00 - $346,700.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.