Northrop Grumman's Manufacturing Operations Engineering organization is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer for the Advanced Ceramics Facility (ACF) manufacturing cell.
ACF utilizes flexibility and creativity in order to develop, manufacture and deliver leading-edge discriminating products, while incorporating the latest materials, technology and processing to meet or exceed customer expectations.
The Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer will provide manufacturing technical support and direction to fabricate ceramic substrates for next generation RF hardware. This position will be responsible for supporting multiple processes in ACF.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the tasks outlined below:
- Solving of manufacturing problems related to materials, designs, equipment, people in a timely manner to support production
- Developing new and maintaining existing manufacturing processes with a focus on affordability, sustainability and quality
- Developing and optimizing process parameters
- Developing and revising process documentation and work instruction
- Creating, validating, and maintaining automatic equipment programs
- Monitoring process yields, cost, and process stability and capability
- Supporting the creation and implementation of improvement plans based on the above metrics
- Developing ROI justification for process improvements
- Assisting with the training of new personnel and participating in the design of operator training materials
- Supporting factory maintenance personnel with the troubleshooting and repair of process equipment
- Leading/facilitating Root Cause & Corrective Action investigations and driving to closure
- Supporting capital equipment projects through procurement, installation and release for production use
- Supporting engineering data analysis including metrology data, ERP (SAP) data, and other in-process metrics
The chosen candidate must have excellent verbal and written communication skills; be able to multi-task in a fast-paced, dynamic, and high visibility environment; and work well as part of a team.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Manufacturing Engineer 3:
- Bachelor of Science degree or higher in Engineering or related STEM area and 5+ years of relevant professional experience (or 3+ years with an MS; 1 year with a PhD)
- Manufacturing/Process Engineering experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment
- Experience with Design of Experiment (DOE), Statistical Process Control (SPC), 6 sigma concepts for process development and control
- Fluency in MS Office software applications
- Experience with ERP systems
- The ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance
- US Citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Ceramics or materials fabrication manufacturing experience
- Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
- Experience with Matlab, VBA and/or similar
- Experience with CAD software (AutoCAD, NX or similar)
- Experience with Minitab software
- Experience with SAP MRP software
- Experience with the Teamcenter Manufacturing software tool suite and Manufacturing Process Planning
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree or higher in Engineering or a related STEM field
- 5+ years of relevant professional experience, or 3+ years with a master's degree, or 1 year with a PhD
- Manufacturing or process engineering experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment
- Experience with Design of Experiments, Statistical Process Control, and Six Sigma concepts
- Fluency in Microsoft Office applications
- Experience with ERP systems
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance
- U.S. citizenship
- Ceramics or materials fabrication manufacturing experience
- Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
- Experience with MATLAB, VBA, or similar tools
- Experience with CAD software such as AutoCAD or NX
- Experience with Minitab
- Experience with SAP MRP software
- Experience with Teamcenter Manufacturing and Manufacturing Process Planning
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.






