Principal/Sr. Principal Engineer Microelectronic Semiconductors

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman's Manufacturing Operations Engineering organization is seeking a Principal/Senior Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer 3/4 for the Parylene-Radiator-Feed-Circulator (PRFC) cell. This position is located at our site near BWI Airport in Maryland.

The Principal/Senior Principal Manufacturing Process Engineer will provide manufacturing technical support and direction to fabricate Advanced Packages for next generation RF hardware. This position will be responsible for supporting the Circulator Build Line and the Radiator Build Line/Inventory System in the newly formed PRFC cell.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the tasks outlined below:

• Rapidly diagnose and resolve line-stop and manufacturing issues related to materials, designs, equipment, and people in a timely manner to support production.
• Own end-to-end manufacturing process definition, specifications, best practices, and technical documentation to meet performance, quality, and safety requirements.
• Optimize processes using DOE, SPC, and Six Sigma methods; establish control plans, KPIs, SPC plans and real-time monitoring to improve yield, throughput, and cost.
• Create, validate, and maintain automatic equipment programs.
• Drive structured problem-solving for process deviations and quality issues; lead root cause analysis (5-Why, fishbone) and implement effective corrective action (RCCA); validate effectiveness via performance metrics and defect pareto trends.
• Manage change control and execute appropriate process validation/qualification; maintain accurate process baselines, revision control, and audit-ready records.
• Develop digital manufacturing and data systems (MES, SPC/Grafana dashboards); leverage ERP (SAP/Opcenter) data, and other process indicators to trigger proactive actions.
• Identify and execute continuous improvement projects with measurable impact on quality, delivery, and cost; create ROI justifications for process, equipment, and layout changes.
• Establish preventive maintenance, calibration, and OEE targets in partnership with maintenance/automation.
• Train and mentor operators/technicians; implement 5S, standard work, and mistake-proofing to drive stable, repeatable operations.
• Supporting capital equipment projects through procurement, installation, and release for production use.

The chosen candidate must be proactive in evaluating manufacturing performance and initiating continuous improvement; 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 an integrated production team.

This position can be filled at either a level 3 or level 4 depending on the candidate's experience.

Basic Qualifications For Principal Engineer Microelectronic Semiconductors (level 3):

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering or related STEM area and a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience or a minimum of 3 years with an MS Degree.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment. 
• Experience managing or leading projects and/or people. 
• Proficiency with Design of Experiment (DOE), Statistical Process Control (SPC), and 6 sigma concepts for process development.
• Proficiency of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Proficiency in MS Office software applications.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Secret Security Clearance.
• US Citizenship is required.

Basic Qualifications For Sr. Principal Engineer Microelectronic Semiconductors (level 4):

• Bachelor of Science degree or higher in Engineering or related STEM area and a minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience or a minimum of 6 years with an MS degree.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment and automated systems. 
• Experience managing or leading multi-faceted projects and/or teams. 
• Experience executing complex Design of Experiment (DOE), Statistical Process Control.(SPC), and 6 sigma concepts for process development.
• Fluency in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T).
• Fluency in MS Office software applications.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US Secret Security Clearance.
• US Citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications For both levels:

• Extensive experience with manufacturing of microelectronics technology and materials.
• Experience with Automation and controls.
• Fluency with Matlab, VBA, C# and/or similar.
• Working knowledge of J-STD and MIL-STD hardware requirements.
• Experience leading Lean/Six Sigma process improvement projects.
• Experience with CAD (NX or similar), Minitab, and SAP MRP software.
• Experience with the Teamcenter Manufacturing software tool suite and Manufacturing Process Planning.

Primary Level Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $163,200.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.