Northrop Grumman is currently seeking an experienced Principal Process Engineer to provide manufacturing and process engineering technical expertise and project management for our large caliber ammunition (LCA) production programs in our Plymouth, MN offices. This position is focused on providing technical leadership in the manufacturing of large caliber cartridges and ammunition propulsion systems and supports the ammunition business segment at Armament Systems Division.
This career opportunity is a great fit for a self-motivated, proactive individual who wants to plan and run projects for the Northrop Grumman LCA production team. Our engineers work in a high exposure, fast paced, and exciting environment that involves hands-on technical challenges, problem solving, and inter-department collaborations. The candidate will apply strong engineering fundamentals, demonstrate clear communication with those they interact with, and must be able to support up to 25% of domestic travel for the duration of the program. If you thrive on attention to detail and want different challenges each day, this is the place for you.
Position Description
This position reports to the LCA engineering manager and is responsible for providing technical leadership, engineering oversight and support on LCA production programs.
Development and oversight of production processes for production at Plymouth, other Northrop Grumman locations and subcontractors, focusing on 120mm and 105mm cartridges and ammunition propulsion systems.
Provide manufacturing engineering project management and leadership.
Support and/or lead failure investigations, root cause determination, and corrective action implementation.
Communicating issues and status frequently and effectively both verbally and in writing.
Engineering oversight and interpretation of acceptance and qualification testing results of ammunition materials and components.
Contribute to completion of specific program and project milestones.
Represent Northrop Grumman to our customers and suppliers.
Travel (approximately 25%) domestically to customers and suppliers representing Northrop Grumman’s program and business interests.
Conceptualize and implement continuous improvement projects internally and with suppliers.
Implement and manage strong manufacturing engineering principles to ensure robust production process and high product quality. Examples are SPC, PFMEA, mistake proofing, gauge R&R, production readiness reviews, equipment and gage qualifications, capacity analysis, value stream mapping, and first article inspections.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree plus 5 years of experience, a Master’s degree plus 3 years of experience, or a PhD plus 1 year of experience.
Engineering experience supporting a production line environment.
Experience working with customer engineering, vendors, and subcontractors.
Proven partnership/collaboration skills and ability to partner with cross disciplines within a team.
Exceptional communication skills (verbal, written, presentation) across all levels of the organization.
Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
Ability to travel
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Must be U.S. Citizen.
Preferred Qualifications
M.S. Engineering degree from an accredited university
Experience with leading teams
Supporting failure analysis within an 8D framework
Experience with energetics and ballistic testing
Experience with managing cost and schedule
Experience working in the defense industry and/or with U.S. Government contracts
Experience writing statements of work and estimating project scope
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree plus 5 years, Master's plus 3 years, or PhD plus 1 year
- Engineering experience supporting a production line environment
- Experience working with customer engineering, vendors, and subcontractors
- Proven partnership/collaboration skills with cross-disciplinary teams
- Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation communication skills
- Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
- Ability to travel (~25%)
- Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance
- Must be U.S. Citizen
- M.S. Engineering degree from an accredited university
- Experience with leading teams
- Experience supporting failure analysis within an 8D framework
- Experience with energetics and ballistic testing
- Experience managing cost and schedule
- Experience working in the defense industry and/or with U.S. Government contracts
- Experience writing statements of work and estimating project scope
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.







