Northrop Grumman is currently seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to provide manufacturing expertise for our Armament Systems Business Unit located in Plymouth, MN.
Our Armament Systems site develops and produces medium- and large-caliber ammunition as well as precision capabilities for direct and indirect fire systems. Leading the industry, this team successfully completes lifecycle support for medium-caliber cannons, develops miniature, precision strike weapons for airborne platforms, creates survivability solutions for soldiers and the next generation tactical ammunition for a variety of combat platforms
Roles and Responsibilities:
The Manufacturing Engineer Designs manufacturing processes, procedures and production layouts for assemblies, equipment installation, processing, machining and material handling. Designs arrangement of machines within plant facilities to ensure most efficient and productive layout. Designs sequence of operations and specifies procedures for the fabrication of tools and equipment and other functions that affect product performance. Adapts machine or equipment design to factory and production conditions. May incorporate inspection and test requirements into the production plan. Inspects performance of machinery, equipment, and tools to verify their efficiency, and investigates and initiates corrective action of problems and deficiencies to ensure product quality. Develops manufacturing processes that are applicable to statistical process control and may develop those techniques. Provides guidance to engineering regarding design concepts and specification requirements to best utilize equipment and manufacturing techniques. Ensures processes and procedures are in compliance with regulations. Supports SAP S/4 Hana, Synchrono, and MES Solumina (ERP system and other support software) to drive effective use of the MRP process within a manufacturing production and development environment, through the creation and maintenance of Material Parts Masters, MBOMs, Routings, and Work Instructions, and the coordination with production planning and operations, global supply chain, program project management, and design engineering.
Job Duties:
- Provide technical solutions to a wide range of complex difficult problems
- Solutions are imaginative, thorough, practicable, and consistent with organization objectives.
- Works under only general direction
- Independently determines and develops approach to solutions.
- Work is reviewed upon completion for adequacy in meeting objectives.
- Contributes to the completion of specific programs and projects
- Failure to obtain results or erroneous decisions or recommendations would typically result in serious program delays and considerable expenditure of resources
- Frequent inter-organizational and outside customer contacts
- Represents the organization in providing solutions to difficult technical issues associated with specific projects.
This position may be filled as a level 3 or level 4 Manufacturing Engineer based on the candidate’s education and/or years of experience.
Basic Qualifications for Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Level 3)
- Bachelor of Science degree (preferably in Engineering or STEM discipline)
- 5 years of professional engineering experience in manufacturing and highly regulated environment, or Master’s degree plus 3 years of experience, or PhD plus 1 year of experience
Basic Qualifications for Sr Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Level 4)
- Bachelor of Science degree (preferably in Engineering or STEM discipline)
- 8 years of professional engineering experience in manufacturing and highly regulated environment, or Master’s degree plus 6 years of experience, or PhD plus 4 years of experience
Skills & Qualifications:
- A demonstrated commitment to Safety.
- Complete understanding and wide application of technical principle, theories, and concepts in the field with general knowledge of other related disciplines.
- Skilled in the use of SAP (prefer with S/4Hana) in a manufacturing environment
- An understanding of and practical experience implementing lean manufacturing and (PES) principles
- Expertise in Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action implementation.
- Working knowledge of MS Office products including Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Project.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Time management, organizational and planning skills.
- Detail oriented but able to understand the big picture.
- Comprehend and interpret high level Program Schedules and factory schedules
- U.S. Citizenship
- Ability to obtain government Secret Security Clearance
Experience Preferred:
- Specific experience using SAP S/4HANA (ERP System) in a manufacturing production environment, preferably in the assembly & testing of electromechanical products, supporting the MRP process.
- Product launch and or development experience as it relates to setting up a production process
- Experience in improving existing manufacturing processes and equipment to improve efficiency
- Working with support group personnel, (Maintenance, Safety, Engineering, Production Planning, Quality, etc.)
- Experience with building ownership and responsibilities
- History of effective liaison work with Engineering and Operations Sr. Leadership
- Successful leadership of work teams to achieve company and department objectives.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree, preferably in engineering or a STEM discipline
- Level 3: 5 years of professional engineering experience in manufacturing and a highly regulated environment; alternatively, a master's degree plus 3 years or a PhD plus 1 year
- Level 4: 8 years of professional engineering experience in manufacturing and a highly regulated environment; alternatively, a master's degree plus 6 years or a PhD plus 4 years
- Commitment to safety
- Understanding and broad application of manufacturing engineering principles, theories, and concepts
- Proficiency using SAP in a manufacturing environment, preferably SAP S/4HANA
- Understanding and practical experience implementing lean manufacturing and PES principles
- Expertise in root cause analysis and corrective action implementation
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Project
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Time management, organizational, and planning skills
- Ability to comprehend and interpret high-level program and factory schedules
- U.S. citizenship
- Ability to obtain a government Secret security clearance
- Experience using SAP S/4HANA in a manufacturing production environment supporting MRP, preferably with electromechanical assembly and testing
- Product launch or production-process development experience
- Experience improving manufacturing processes and equipment efficiency
- Experience working with maintenance, safety, engineering, production planning, and quality personnel
- Experience with building ownership and responsibilities
- Experience liaising with engineering and operations senior leadership
- Successful leadership of work teams
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.







