Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking Principal / Sr. Principal Supplier Manufacturing Engineer. This position will be located in Roy, UT
What you’ll get to do:
This position supports the Sentinel program and serves as the interface among Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, and Business Management to ensure material plans and execution align with Launch Infrastructure schedules and priorities. The role supports Supplier Management Teams, Production Operations, and Design Engineering by providing technical insight into supplier manufacturing capabilities, forecasting supplier-driven schedule and cost impacts, and representing supplier constraints to internal stakeholders.
The successful candidate will own time-phased material planning based on engineering releases, bills of material, and program schedules to ensure parts, assemblies, and services are available to support key milestones, build events, and installation activities. This position will also drive SSOW, PR, and PO execution; coordinate material impacts from drawings, parts lists, and ECNs/ECOs; and work with Engineering, Supply Chain, Subcontracts, Configuration Management, Planning, and suppliers to resolve issues affecting cost, schedule, and technical performance.
The role requires identifying and mitigating material risks such as long-lead items, sole or limited sources, obsolescence, and capacity constraints; supporting cost and schedule risk analysis; tracking and reporting material health metrics; and participating in technical and program reviews to communicate status and recovery plans. In addition, the candidate will lead or support process improvements that enhance material flow, data integrity, visibility, and cycle time.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in the manufacturing of large structural assemblies, preferably metallic structures, with demonstrated understanding of the associated fabrication, assembly, and manufacturing processes. The candidate should also have excellent written and verbal communication skills, procurement and contracting experience, the ability to develop supplier development plans, and experience working on cross-functional teams.
This position will require up to 25% travel to suppliers and NG partners.
Position Benefits
As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• Health & Wellness Resources
• Employee Discounts
This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off. This role may offer a competitive relocation assistance package.
Basic Qualifications:
Principal Manufacturing Engineer: 5 Years of work experience with Bachelors in Science; 3 Years with Masters; 1 Year with PhD
Senior Principal Manufacturing Engineer: 8 Years of work experience with Bachelors in Science; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Years with PhD
Required for Both Levels:
• Experience working across engineering, supply chain/procurement, and manufacturing to resolve material issues and align to program schedules.
• Possess a strong background in large metallic structural assemblies, machined parts, facilities integration, or hydraulics.
• Strong understanding of the manufacturing processes utilized in the aerospace/defense industries: welding, casting, forging, machining, or additive manufacturing.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word); experience using data from PLM/ERP or MRP systems to analyze and report material status.
• Proven experience managing or supporting time phased material requirements (e.g., MRP, demand planning, shop floor schedules) and resolving shortages or delays.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must have an active U.S. Government DoD Secret Security or Top-Secret clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with an ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business need.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with aerospace/defense production environments, particularly launch or ground/mission infrastructure programs.
• Experienced in interfacing directly with suppliers and collaborating with Supplier Management Teams
• Experience collaborating with Procurement or Global Supply Chain is a plus
• Possess introductory knowledge of Global Supply Chain concepts and FAR/DFARS requirements.
• Experience with SAE AS6500 and MIL-HDBK-896
• Hands on experience with PLM and ERP/MRP systems (e.g., Teamcenter, SAP, Delmia, or equivalent) including BOM review, part status, and demand/supply analysis.
• Experience creating manufacturing plans and process instructions
• Experienced in summarizing and explaining technical documentation, specifications and industry requirements to ensure compliance.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and interpersonal communication skills
• Background in parts, materials, and process considerations for high reliability hardware (e.g., understanding of lead times, special processes, handling, and qualification impacts on material plans).
• Experience leading cross functional improvement projects related to material flow, kitting, or supplier performance.
• Experience in driving supplier quality requirements such as AS9100, ISO9001, and dimensional inspections.
• Demonstrated success recovering project schedules, including creation and execution of recovery/expedite plans with Supply Chain and Manufacturing.
• Experience working cross-functionally with multi-disciplinary teams to influence change across team boundaries
• Understanding of Lean Six Sigma with continuous improvement and RCCA exposure
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science with 5 years of experience for Principal level, or 8 years for Senior Principal level
- Alternatively, 3 years of experience with a master's degree or 1 year with a PhD for Principal level
- Alternatively, 6 years of experience with a master's degree or 4 years with a PhD for Senior Principal level
- Experience working across engineering, supply chain or procurement, and manufacturing to resolve material issues and align program schedules
- Strong background in large metallic structural assemblies, machined parts, facilities integration, or hydraulics
- Understanding of aerospace and defense manufacturing processes, including welding, casting, forging, machining, or additive manufacturing
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
- Experience using PLM, ERP, or MRP data to analyze and report material status
- Experience managing or supporting time-phased material requirements and resolving shortages or delays
- U.S. citizenship
- Active U.S. Government DoD Secret or Top Secret clearance, current and within scope, at application
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program approval
- Experience in aerospace or defense production environments, particularly launch or ground or mission infrastructure programs
- Experience interfacing directly with suppliers and collaborating with Supplier Management Teams
- Experience collaborating with Procurement or Global Supply Chain
- Knowledge of Global Supply Chain concepts and FAR/DFARS requirements
- Experience with SAE AS6500 and MIL-HDBK-896
- Hands-on experience with PLM and ERP/MRP systems such as Teamcenter, SAP, or Delmia
- Experience creating manufacturing plans and process instructions
- Experience summarizing technical documentation, specifications, and industry requirements for compliance
- Strong organizational, time-management, and interpersonal communication skills
- Knowledge of parts, materials, processes, lead times, special processes, handling, and qualification impacts for high-reliability hardware
- Experience leading cross-functional improvement projects involving material flow, kitting, or supplier performance
- Experience driving supplier quality requirements involving AS9100, ISO 9001, and dimensional inspections
- Demonstrated success recovering project schedules through recovery and expedite plans
- Experience influencing change across multidisciplinary teams
- Understanding of Lean Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and RCCA
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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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
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.







