The Director, Leadership Development is a senior talent leader responsible for designing and delivering Northrop Grumman’s enterprise leadership and career development strategy. This position is strongly preferred to be located in Falls Church, VA, but a remote schedule may be considered. Teleworking arrangements are subject to change based on the needs of the business.
In this role, you will:
- Lead the integrated leadership development strategy, design and deployment of all leadership development programs, aligned to enterprise leadership expectations and talent strategies. Ensure program design reflects future skills and capabilities required to deliver the company’s strategic priorities.
- Own the enterprise approach to career development and resources that enable employees to grow and navigate careers at Northrop Grumman. Partner with HR and business leaders to embed career development into key talent processes (e.g., performance management, talent reviews, succession planning) and drive awareness and adoption of career development resources by employees and managers.
- Establish and maintain enterprise mentorship strategies (formal and informal), including program design, technology platforms, communications, and measurement.
- Define the strategy for coaching and oversee its execution.
- Set the overarching strategy for early career experiences. Partner with Talent Acquisition and sector HR to ensure a seamless and differentiated experience, and use data to track early career outcomes (e.g., retention, performance, internal mobility) and continuously improve the experience.
- Partner closely with the VP, Talent and senior HR and business leadership to ensure leadership development and career initiatives are aligned with business strategy, culture, and future capability needs.
- Use data, insights, and feedback to continuously improve program effectiveness and business impact.
- Lead, manage and develop a high-performing team responsible for program design, delivery, and measurement across leadership development, career development, mentorship, coaching, and early careers.
- Build strong relationships with sector and functional HR and Talent teams and other key stakeholders to ensure coordinated, integrated, efficient talent solutions.
- Oversee vendor relationships and external partnerships for leadership development offerings and other related work.
- Steward the leadership development brand and narrative for Northrop Grumman, ensuring programs and experiences are cohesive, scalable, future-focused and reflect our values and leadership expectations.
- Establish clear program governance, standards, and measures of success across all areas within scope.
- Manage budgets, contracts, and resources to deliver high-impact solutions efficiently.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Psychology, or related field and 12+ years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Psychology, or related field and 10+ years of relevant experience.
- Experience in leadership development, organizational development, talent management, learning and development, or related disciplines, with significant experience leading enterprise or large-scale programs.
- Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and measuring leadership development and/or career development programs in a complex, matrixed organization.
- Experience leading teams and influencing senior leaders across functions and/or business units.
- Proven ability to use data and analytics to evaluate program effectiveness and make strategic decisions.
- Strong consulting, facilitation, communication and executive presentation skills, with the ability to influence and gain alignment at the senior leadership level.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Organizational Development, I/O Psychology, HR, Business, or related field.
- Experience in a global or highly regulated industry (e.g., aerospace and defense, technology, manufacturing).
- Hands-on experience with enterprise mentoring, technology-enabled learning solutions, and coaching frameworks.
- Experience designing and leading early career programs.
- Proven experience collaborating with external providers to design and deliver leadership development programs.
- Demonstrated success driving enterprise change and adoption of new talent practices.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Psychology, or a related field and 12+ years of relevant experience
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Psychology, or a related field and 10+ years of relevant experience
- Experience in leadership development, organizational development, talent management, learning and development, or related disciplines
- Significant experience leading enterprise or large-scale programs
- Experience designing, implementing, and measuring leadership or career development programs in a complex, matrixed organization
- Experience leading teams and influencing senior leaders across functions or business units
- Ability to use data and analytics to evaluate program effectiveness and make strategic decisions
- Strong consulting, facilitation, communication, and executive presentation skills
- Ability to influence and gain alignment at the senior leadership level
- Master's degree in Organizational Development, I/O Psychology, HR, Business, or a related field
- Experience in a global or highly regulated industry, such as aerospace and defense, technology, or manufacturing
- Hands-on experience with enterprise mentoring, technology-enabled learning solutions, and coaching frameworks
- Experience designing and leading early-career programs
- Experience collaborating with external providers to design and deliver leadership development programs
- Success driving enterprise change and adoption of new talent practices
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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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
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.

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