Northrop Grumman, Mission Systems (NGMS) is looking a Program Manager 3 to support the Sentinel Navigation Inertial Measurement System (NIMS) Program under the Navigation and Cockpit Systems (NACS) Business Unit. This position is in Woodland Hills, CA and requires full-time on-site support. This leader will be responsible for executing the Sentinel NIMS Engineering Manufacturing and Development (EMD) contract.
What You’ll Get To Do:
The Program Manager will report to the Senior Director, Sentinel NIMS Program. They will and provide overall leadership for a diverse, cross-functional program team to ensure successful delivery of program requirements.
They will be accountable for cost, schedule, and technical performance across all phases of execution.
The Program Manager will support the negotiation of contracts and contract modifications, and leads the coordination and development of proposals, business plans, statements of work, specifications, operating budgets, and contract financial terms and conditions.
They will serve as the primary customer interface for program activities, leading program reviews and customer engagements to communicate and align on cost, schedule, and technical performance.
They will establish program-level design concepts and technical criteria and oversees engineering efforts spanning development, integration, and test.
They will define key milestones, maintain adherence to master plans and schedules, proactively identifies program risks and issues, and drive timely resolution through actions such as resource realignment or management of contractual and technical changes.
They will direct and integrate the work of personnel across engineering, manufacturing, and administrative functions in support of program objectives.
This role will provide program-facing leadership for system hardware configuration, release planning, and integrated deployment execution in an EMD environment.
They will be responsible for managing the hardware configuration baseline, tracking and driving design changes, and coordinating across Quality, Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure design compliance in accordance with the Statement of Work (SOW).
This position will include at least one direct report.
The position will lead strategic hardware product mapping and execution plans to progress hardware through the development lifecycle to release, while overseeing system-level integration activities and identifying process improvements that accelerate hardware deliveries.
This role will also support execution on large program acquisition contracts, requiring close customer coordination, effective negotiation, and clear communication to ensure commitments for hardware delivery are met.
Primary responsibilities will include:
Lead and support deployment activities to drive timely execution of integration testing, validation and verification of the system requirements for sell-off.
Accountable for system hardware (HW) configuration coordination and release planning, including sequencing and execution of HW deployments across different teams and environments.
Lead cross-team HW deployment meetings; communicate status, issues, and risks to stakeholders, technical teams, and management.
Support the leadership of cross-functional IPTs to meet program deliverables aligned to cost, schedule and technical performance objectives for the NIMS System.
Serve as the central point of contact supporting the IPTL PM for integrated deployment activities across internal teams, customers, and stakeholders.
Identify potential risks associated with HW releases and develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
Coordinate with Engineering and Global Supply Chain on the design and acquisition of deployment equipment logistics (e.g., shipping containers, shipping material, transportation).
Measure, track and report execution performance, including metrics and delivery progress.
Develop and manage budget baselines using Earned Value Management System (EVMS) control methodologies and tools.
Participate in monthly internal rhythms (Program Management Reviews, Headcount Reviews, Financial Forecast reviews, monthly EAC submittals, and other program meetings as directed by the Program Manager IPT Lead).
Maintain accountability to the Program Manager IPT Lead for labor and material execution; partner with the program’s Cost Account Manager (CAM) to provide status, resolve issues and support execution.
Coordinate with functional organizations to identify, allocate and manage program resources, including workforce planning to maintain HW releases.
Prepare charts, briefings and presentations on program status/progress and process performance; to deliver updates to Program Manager IPT Lead, customers, management, and other program stakeholders.
Support customer negotiations and provide clear internal and external stakeholders updates as directed by the Program IPTL.
Ensure team understanding of, and adherence to, contract scope and sell-off requirements.
Develop, maintain and execute to master plans and schedules; drive solutions with the Program Manager IPT Lead to protect schedule execution & performance.
Execute robust risk & opportunity management practices including identification, mitigation and realization.
Ensure adherence to all internal processes, policies, and applicable industry standards.
Travel as directed by the Program Manager IPT Lead.
The position requires up to 25% travel.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant professional experience, supporting customers in a program, technical leadership role, or a Master’s degree with 6 years of relevant professional experience supporting customers in a program, technical leadership role.
Demonstrated experience leading programs/teams of greater than 80 full-time equivalent (FTE) personnel.
Demonstrate knowledge and application of Earn Value Management System (EVMS) principles and Risk & Opportunity Management (ROM) processes.
Demonstrated analytical, technical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills, with experience making data driven decisions in a program environment.
Demonstrated leadership experience, including the ability to lead and influence cross functional teams in a collaborative environment.
Demonstrated experience building and maintaining strong customer relationship relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrate experience, supporting gated product development, and design reviews, including activities, such as Critical Design Reviews (CDR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), and Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) deliverables/compliance.
Demonstrated strong, verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively present technical and program information to customers, senior leadership, and cross functional teams.
Demonstrated experience leading hard engineering development programs throughout the product development, lifecycle, including design, integration, test, and production transition.
U.S. citizenship required
An active U.S. Government Secret security clearance required to be considered.
Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated experience with Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs).
Demonstrated familiarity with mechanical gimbal systems, Circuit & Card Assemblies (CCA), and power supply design.
Demonstrated experience leading teams through formal program, replanning efforts, including Over Target Baseline (OTB) and Over Target Schedule (OTS) activities.
Demonstrated experience serving in a Project Manager or Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead role.
Demonstrated experience supporting manufacturing programs and transitioning products into Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP).
Cost Account Manager (CAM) certification or demonstrated experience performing CAM responsibilities in an EVMS environment.
What We Can Offer You:
Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family. Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree with 8 years relevant experience or Master's degree with 6 years relevant experience
- Demonstrated experience leading programs/teams of greater than 80 FTE
- Knowledge and application of Earned Value Management System (EVMS) principles and Risk & Opportunity Management (ROM) processes
- Experience developing and managing budget baselines and EAC submittals in an EVMS environment
- Analytical, technical, strategic thinking, and data-driven decision making in a program environment
- Leadership experience influencing cross-functional teams and strong verbal and written communication skills
- Experience building and maintaining customer relationships and serving as primary customer interface
- Experience supporting gated product development and design reviews (CDR, TRR) and CDRL deliverables/compliance
- Demonstrated experience leading hardware engineering development programs through design, integration, test, and production transition
- Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance
- U.S. citizenship
- Willingness to travel up to 25% as directed
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.





