At Northrop Grumman, the work we do every day helps shape the future of aerospace, national defense, and scientific discovery. Our teams develop the technologies that enable manned and unmanned aircraft systems, protect national security, and expand the boundaries of what’s possible. Behind every breakthrough is exceptional talent.
Northrop Grumman (NG) Aeronautics Systems (AS) sector is seeking Principal/Senior Principal Talent Acquisition Business Partners who are ready to play a critical role in building the teams that power our mission. This role is designed for a strategic talent partner who thrives at the intersection of business partnership, talent strategy, and organizational impact.
As part of the next evolution of our Aeronautics Sector Talent Acquisition organization, you will help lead the transformation from a high-performing recruiting function to a best-in-class strategic talent organization. This role is ideally based at one of our NG locations, but we’re open to considering remote candidates. On-site support and travel (20%) will be required as business needs permit.
A Strategic Talent Role
In this role, you will do far more than fill requisitions. You will serve as a trusted advisor to business leaders, influencing hiring strategies that directly impact program execution and long-term growth. You will help shape how our organization identifies, attracts, and hires the talent that defines possible. You will also play an important role within our Talent Acquisition community.
Key Responsibilities include:
- As a strategic Talent Acquisition Business Partner, you will:
- Lead full lifecycle recruiting for regional or division-specific requisitions spanning technical, administrative, hourly, and leadership roles
- Develop creative and forward-thinking sourcing strategies to engage top talent in competitive markets
- Assess candidates for technical capability, leadership potential, and mission alignment
- Act as a trusted advisor to hiring leaders, providing guidance on interviewing, candidate evaluation, and hiring decisions
- Utilize data, market insights, and workforce intelligence to inform hiring strategies and influence decision-making
- Ensure recruiting activities align with compliance standards, diversity objectives, and talent acquisition processes
- Partner cross-functionally to deliver a seamless and engaging candidate experience
Why This Role Matters
The future of aerospace innovation depends on the people we bring into our organization. As a Talent Acquisition Business Partner, you will play a direct role in shaping the teams that design, build, and deliver technologies that protect and advance the world. You will influence a Talent Acquisition organization that values curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and impact—where recruiters are empowered to think strategically, act boldly, and continuously improve how we serve the business. If you are passionate about building exceptional teams and influencing the future of an organization, we invite you to explore this opportunity and help us continue Defining Possible.
This requisition may be filled as a Principal or Senior Principal Talent Acquisition Business Partner based on the qualifications listed below.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Talent Acquisition Business Partner:
- Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR Master’s degree with 3 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR a High School Diploma/GED with 9 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience
- Proven track record of independently driving high‑visibility, projects through successful delivery, consistently meeting or exceeding scope and achieving measurable business outcomes
- Demonstrated success filling hard‑to‑fill roles across multiple functions
- Experience partnering with senior leaders and preparing executive communication
- Proven ability to manage multiple requisitions simultaneously with advanced recruiting strategies and meet aggressive hiring targets
- Ability to travel up to 20%
Basic Qualifications for a Senior Principal Talent Acquisition Business Partner:
- Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR Master’s degree with 6 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR a High School Diploma/GED with 12 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience
- Proven track record of independently driving high‑visibility, projects through successful delivery, consistently meeting or exceeding scope and achieving measurable business outcomes
- Demonstrated success filling hard‑to‑fill roles across multiple functions
- Experience partnering with senior leaders and preparing executive communication
- Proven ability to manage multiple requisitions simultaneously with advanced recruiting strategies and meet aggressive hiring targets
- Ability to travel up to 20%
Preferred Qualifications:
We are especially interested in candidates who bring:
- A strong ability to influence senior leaders using data and talent market insights
- Passion for talent acquisition and staying current on recruiting trends
- A confident executive presence and consultative mindset
- A track record of raising the performance of high-performing teams
- Excellent communication and relationship‑building skills, both written and verbal
- High degree of autonomy, initiative and problem-solving capability
- Ability to thrive in ambiguity and matrixed teams
- Proven ability to assess multi-faceted needs resulting in the creation of innovative strategies and strong presentation skills
- Expertise with our NG Systems (Eightfold, Workday, LinkedIn Recruiter, etc.)
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance and Special Program Access within a reasonable period, as determined by the company to meet business needs
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree with 5 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR Master's degree with 3 years OR High School Diploma/GED with 9 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience
- Bachelor's degree with 8 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience OR Master's degree with 6 years OR High School Diploma/GED with 12 years of full lifecycle recruiting experience
- Proven track record of independently driving high-visibility projects through successful delivery and achieving measurable business outcomes
- Demonstrated success filling hard-to-fill roles across multiple functions
- Experience partnering with senior leaders and preparing executive-level communication
- Proven ability to manage multiple requisitions simultaneously with advanced recruiting strategies and meet aggressive hiring targets
- Ability to travel up to 20% (on-site support and travel as business needs permit)
- Expertise with NG systems (Eightfold, Workday, LinkedIn Recruiter, etc.)
- Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance and Special Program Access within a reasonable period
- Strong ability to influence senior leaders using data and talent market insights; excellent communication and consultative skills
- Track record of raising the performance of high-performing teams and ability to thrive in ambiguity and matrixed environments
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.








