Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a Manager Mission Assurance 2. This position will be located in Huntsville, AL and will support the Sentinel (GBSD) program. This role may offer a competitive relocation assistance package.
What You’ll Get To Do:
Primary responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:
- Lead and manage the Mission Assurance team supporting new production, modifications, and acceptance testing of SLCM-N systems.
- Provide objective-oriented direction to subordinates, interpreting and recommending modifications to policies and procedures as needed.
- Support and present at Test Readiness Reviews, Flight Readiness Reviews, and Executive Review Boards for critical ground and flight test activities.
- Drive implementation of industry best practices to improve quality, cost, schedule, and technical performance across the System Integration & Test (SIT&E) organization.
- Oversee the Safe-for-Flight release process, reviewing open work items and endorsing deferments (Delayed Action/OK for Flight).
- Manage complex budgets and staffing plans, ensuring resources meet flexible schedule requirements and remain within cost constraints.
- Ensure compliance with DCMAI 8210.1 requirements, FOE audits, and AS9100D quality management system throughout the program lifecycle.
- Promote professional development, inclusion, and continuous-improvement culture within the Mission Assurance workforce.
- Build and sustain strong customer and supplier relationships, providing transparent communication and oversight of Mission-Critical Go/No-Go items (MGIs).
- Lead root-cause investigations and corrective-action initiatives, leveraging lessons learned to enhance reliability, safety, and maintainability. .
As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:
- Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
- 401k
- Educational Assistance
- Life Insurance
- Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
- Paid Time Off
- Health & Wellness Resources
- Employee Discounts
This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off. This role may offer a competitive relocation assistance package.
You’ll Bring These Qualifications:
- Bachelors of Science degree and 8 years of relevant experience, OR a Masters degree and 6 years of relevant experience
- Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance within scope, with an investigation date within the last 6 years.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP)
- Experience in root-cause analysis, corrective-action processes, and familiarity with DCMAI 8210.1, FOE compliance, and the AS9100D quality management system.
- Experience with manufacturing and quality assurance processes
- Experience in developing and implementing Mission Assurance or Quality Assurance plans.
- Experience with manufacturing, quality controls, inspection and/or non-conformance controls.
- Experience in developing staffing strategies to support program needs while managing direct budgets
These Qualifications Would be Nice to Have:
- Minimum of 5 years of management, supervisory, or demonstrated leadership experience in aerospace or related defense programs.
- Experience managing people.
- Active DoD Top Secret Clearance.
- Extensive leadership experience in a flight-test environment.
- Six or more years of Mission Assurance experience with the ability to interface across all levels of functional and program leadership.
- 1 year experience leading a project and/or driving performance against schedule
- Experience with Earned Value Management System (EVMS)
- Proven experience in leading process improvement projects
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science and 8 years relevant experience, OR Master’s degree and 6 years relevant experience
- Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance within scope, investigation within last 6 years
- Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility
- Experience in root-cause analysis and corrective-action processes
- Familiarity with DCMAI 8210.1, FOE compliance, and AS9100D quality management system
- Experience with manufacturing and quality assurance processes
- Experience developing and implementing Mission Assurance or Quality Assurance plans
- Experience with manufacturing quality controls, inspection, and non-conformance controls
- Experience developing staffing strategies and managing direct budgets
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.








