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 is seeking a Principal/Sr. Principal Tooling Design Engineer Level 3/4 is responsible for providing designs for industrial machinery and equipment, tools, dies, gauges, jigs, fixtures, and machine attachments required for production or experimental use, considering such factors as accessibility, economy, mobility, and performance requirements.
Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
- Create 3D models and 2D drawings to be used in the manufacturing of new tooling in support of various programs.
- Create effective and safe designs that are used to manufacture, test, qualify, and transport product.
- Schedule and run 30/60/90% Design Reviews to ensure customer satisfaction throughout the design cycle.
- Work with internal Customers to conceptualize and design support equipment for new and existing programs.
- Work closely with other Tool Engineering functions to provide designs on time and within budget.
- Understand and monitor budget and schedule for own tasks.
- Review Engineering drawings and designs for manufacturability.
This req can be filled at either Level 3 or Level 4 depending on qualification below
Basic Qualifications:
Principal Tooling Engineer Level 3:
- Bachelors in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 4 years of experience in the following engineering fields; Mechanical, Design, Tooling, Manufacturing, Die, Product, Mechanical, Aerospace, Aeronautical; OR Masters in STEM with 3 years of experience in mentioned fields OR PhD In STEM field with 0 years of experience.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Experience in design, fabrication and implementation of tooling used in the manufacture of composite and metallic parts
- Experience with general metallic fabrication including welding and machining
- Experience with Solid modeling experience or similar (NX Preferred)
- Experience with 2D drafting software (CADAM Preferred)
- Experience with manufacturing processes
- Experience written and oral communication skills
- Experience with 2D drawing preparation and 2D drawing analysis
- Experience with GD&T practice and implementation
- Experience with root cause corrective action analysis
- Experience leading smaller scale projects with minimal supervision, working with autonomy.
Principal Tooling Engineer Level 4:
- Bachelors in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 4 years of experience in the following engineering fields; Mechanical, Design, Tooling, Manufacturing, Die, Product, Mechanical, Aerospace, Aeronautical; OR Masters in STEM with 3 years of experience in mentioned fields OR PhD In STEM field with 0 years of experience.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access within a reasonable period of time as determined by the needs of the business
- Experience in design, fabrication and implementation of tooling used in the manufacture of composite and metallic parts
- Experience with general metallic fabrication including welding and machining
- Experience with Solid modeling experience or similar (NX Preferred)
- Experience with 2D drafting software (CADAM Preferred)
- Experience with manufacturing processes
- Experience written and oral communication skills
- Experience with 2D drawing preparation and 2D drawing analysis
- Experience with GD&T practice and implementation
- Experience with root cause corrective action analysis
- Experience leading larger scale projects with minimal supervision, working with autonomy.
Preferred Qualifications
- Extensive knowledge of the E-2D platform and a firm comprehension of 2D designed vehicle engineering data.
- Familiarity with OSHA specs for design for safety
- CAM Experience preferred, developing and maintaining a tooling budget, ensuring cost management
- Extensive knowledge of sheet metal aircraft manufacture
- Knowledgeable and demonstrated experience with NX modeling
- Structural Analysis experience is a plus (FEA and hand calculations)
- PE certification is also a plus
- Mechanical Design and Assembly
- Experience with managing small to medium size design projects
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in STEM (or Masters/PhD with equivalent reduced experience)
- Ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Government Clearance and Special Program Access (PAR)
- Experience designing, fabricating and implementing tooling for composite and metallic parts
- Experience with general metallic fabrication including welding and machining
- Solid modeling experience (NX preferred)
- Experience with 2D drafting software (CADAM preferred)
- Experience with manufacturing processes
- Written and oral communication skills
- Experience with 2D drawing preparation and 2D drawing analysis
- Experience with GD&T practice and implementation
- Experience with root cause corrective action analysis
- Experience leading projects with autonomy (smaller scale for Level 3, larger scale for Level 4)
- Extensive knowledge of E-2D platform and 2D vehicle engineering data
- Familiarity with OSHA specifications for design safety
- CAM experience and tooling budget management
- Extensive knowledge of sheet metal aircraft manufacture
- Demonstrated NX modeling experience
- Structural analysis experience (FEA and hand calculations)
- PE certification
- Mechanical design and assembly experience
- Experience managing small to medium size design projects
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.








