Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems sector location located in Radford, VA is currently seeking a Program Manager Level 2 to support our growing business.
The primary objective will be the delivery of all contractual requirements on cost and on schedule, while achieving all technical requirements and creating customer intimacy to support value creation strategies and actions. The individual will lead a cross-functional organization aligned to common program performance goals.
Program Managers are responsible for leading all phases of the program life cycle from inception (proposal development) through startup, execution, and completion (contract closeout). Primary responsibilities are the management of cost, schedule, and technical performance of company programs or subsystems and include, but are not limited to:
- Cultivating customer relationships and intimacy to develop further opportunities within the customer community.
- Developing new business opportunities through long term strategic planning, capture planning, and development of proposals and business plans
- Establishing a program organization that effectively addresses customer requirements and incorporates the necessary internal and external sub-organizations.
- Leading and directing cross-functional Integrated Program Teams (IPT) to meet program cost, schedule, and technical performance objectives.
- Measuring and reporting program performance
- Delivering presentations to customers, executive management, and other program stakeholders
- Participating in the negotiation of contracts, contract changes, specifications, operating budgets, schedule milestones, and key terms and conditions
- Establishing design concepts, criteria, and engineering efforts for product research, development, integration, and test
- Creation, review, and finalization of the program Statement of Work
- Identification, distribution, tracking, and completion of program requirements
- Establishment and management of the program and subordinate baselines
- Development and adherence to budget baselines utilizing Earned Value Management (EVM) or similar cost & schedule control methodologies and tools.
- Identifying, allocating and managing program resources, including workforce planning
- Managing Government/customer supplied property or information (GFE, CFE, etc.)
- Managing suppliers to meet program objectives.
- Adherence to all internal processes, policies, and applicable industry standards
- Ensuring program team understands and adheres to contract scope and manages change through control board activities.
- Development and adherence to master plans and schedules.
- Conducting thorough risk & opportunity management practices including identification, mitigation, and realization
Desired Attributes:
- Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to manage a project team daily and communicate effectively with segment leadership regarding status, awareness, and escalations.
- Ability to manage projects to specified milestones and established schedules.
- Ability to resolve disputes and negotiate with positive outcome while maintaining good relationships within the organization, specifically between peers and management.
- Ability to manage communications with stakeholders through organized processes to ensure that program information is defined, collected, shared, understood, stored, and retrieved in a manner that effectively meets program and stakeholder needs.
- Ability to identify and address program impacts through a systematic, proactive approach to issue and problem resolution that identifies, communicates, monitors, and promptly resolves conflicts across all levels of the program.
- Ability to define proposal strategy, lead proposal teams, analyze and shape RFPs, produce and deliver winning proposals, effectively track, and incorporate Review Team comments and findings, and manage post-proposal submittals (orals, finding responses)
- Ability to address program uncertainty through an organized and analytical forward-looking approach that identifies risks and opportunities, determines appropriate handling plans, and manages, controls, and communicates risks and opportunities throughout the lifecycle of the program.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree and 10 years (or Bachelor of Science in STEM and 9 years), OR a Master’s degree and 8 years (or Master of Science in STEM and 7 years) experience supporting U.S. Government contracts and customers and/or project management in other industries
- 6 years of experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all requirements as either project lead, integrated program team or cost account manager
- 6 years of demonstrated success leading teams/and or organizations to achieve a common goal
- Competency in Project Management skills and toolsets
- Knowledge of pricing and proposals
- Competent in standard Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook)
- Must be able to obtain a DoD security clearance (US Citizenship is a requirement)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Technical understanding of ammunition products, ability to discuss ballistic performance of products with customer and modify products to meet customer needs (i.e. pressure, velocity, dispersion, clean burning, etc.)
- Ability to manage technical staff responsible for manufacturing and R&D of ammunition products, including the development of product technical data package. Technical management experience.
- Working knowledge of the sporting ammunition industry standards.
- Working knowledge of the domestic and international sporting ammunition customer base.
- Experience working on commercial program and international customers.
- A degree in a science, engineering, or a business program
- Experience in the aerospace/defense industry or within the Department of Defense or NASA
- PMP® certification Experience
- Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, Agile methodologies
- Ability to define technical strategy to promote capturing business in new areas.
- Experience in managing multiple programs.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree and 10 years of relevant experience, or STEM bachelor's degree and 9 years; alternatively, a master's degree and 8 years, or STEM master's degree and 7 years.
- Experience supporting U.S. Government contracts and customers and/or project management in other industries.
- Six years of experience leading tasks to schedule, cost, and requirements objectives as a project lead, integrated program team member, or cost account manager.
- Six years of demonstrated success leading teams or organizations toward a common goal.
- Competency in project management skills and toolsets.
- Knowledge of pricing and proposals.
- Competence with Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- Must be able to obtain a DoD security clearance.
- U.S. citizenship.
- Technical understanding of ammunition products and ballistic performance.
- Experience managing technical staff responsible for ammunition manufacturing and research and development.
- Working knowledge of sporting ammunition industry standards.
- Working knowledge of domestic and international sporting ammunition customers.
- Experience with commercial programs and international customers.
- Degree in science, engineering, or business.
- Experience in the aerospace or defense industry, Department of Defense, or NASA.
- PMP certification experience.
- Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile methodologies.
- Experience managing multiple programs.
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
.jpeg)






