The Human Resources (HR) team at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Principal HR Business Partner (level 3) to join our community of committed HR professionals at our facility located in San Diego, CA. Our HR community is composed of incredible people with different abilities, diverse thinking and varied backgrounds who find professional fulfillment in understanding and advocating for employees, supporting the coaching and development of the management team, and solving organizational challenges through our partnership with business leadership. The selected candidate will be welcomed into a team aligned to support a diverse employee workforce of varying levels. The selected candidate will join a team supporting our Engineering and Sciences team for the Navigation, Intelligence and Connectivity (NIC) division.
Overview of the Role:
- Consult and assist in the implementation of HR strategy, programs and policies including talent identification, performance management, employee relations, compensation, reward and recognition, succession planning, organization and staff development, leadership/bench strength development, staffing and other areas within the HR body of knowledge.
- Diagnose organizational needs and develop practical, creative/innovative, data-driven solutions to increase team and organizational performance and advance the business strategy.
- Ensure solutions are effectively implemented and sustained.
Job responsibilities will include, but not limited to:
- Establishing intimate understanding of the business, build and expand relationships with client leadership teams, and create close partnerships across HR, centers of excellence (COE’s), finance, and P&L organizations
- Supporting and partnering with HR colleagues, talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, employee relations, diversity and inclusion and organizational effectiveness to support talent strategies
- Identifying trends, risks, and opportunities within the organization and develop solutions in partnership with division and matrix leadership, COE and regional/division HR business leadership
- Advising leadership on new ideas and winning practices in the areas of talent acquisition, assessment, development, compensation, organizational effectiveness, strategy, on-boarding, employee engagement and retention, change management and communications
- Analyzing and concisely presenting information to the management team to enable business growth and sound decision making
- Providing business insight through data analysis, research and benchmarking
- Playing a key change leadership role in the company’s transformation by reinforcing a culture of growth, innovation and calculated risk taking through the application of human capital strategy, tools and processes
- Partnering with business leaders on leadership development to build leadership depth to support the succession planning process
- Supporting and enable leaders to make informed decisions about talent and to hold their organizations accountable for business results
Basic Qualifications – Principal HR Business Partner (level 3):
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resource Management, Organization Development, Industrial Organizational Psychology, or related field required plus 5+ years of relevant experience in HR – OR – 3+ years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree.
- Understanding and application of HR principles, concepts, policies and practices.
- Proficient verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with and influence others.
- Proficient in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- US citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain US Government secret clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working on complex duties in a high-impact, time sensitive environment.
- Working knowledge of HRIS platforms and technology, with preferred applications experience in Workday and Saba Learning Exchange (LX).
- Advanced problem-solving skills and the ability to be flexible and adjust direction when needed.
- Leadership coaching skills and knowledge of human and adult learning principles a plus.
- Experience in proactive HR assessment, diagnosis and solutioning of business challenges.
- Ability to navigate cultural and business nuances/sensitivities to promote top performance, employee engagement and inclusion.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resource Management, Organization Development, Industrial Organizational Psychology, or related field plus 5+ years of relevant HR experience OR Master's degree plus 3+ years of relevant HR experience
- Understanding and application of HR principles, concepts, policies and practices
- Proficient verbal and written communication skills with demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and influence others
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- U.S. citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Government Secret clearance
- Experience working on complex duties in a high-impact, time-sensitive environment
- Working knowledge of HRIS platforms and technology; preferred experience with Workday and Saba Learning Exchange (LX)
- Advanced problem-solving skills and ability to be flexible and adjust direction when needed
- Leadership coaching skills and knowledge of human and adult learning principles
- Experience in proactive HR assessment, diagnosis and solutioning of business challenges
- Ability to navigate cultural and business nuances to promote engagement and inclusion
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.








