Northrop Grumman is currently seeking a Sr. Principal Compensation Analyst at its Corporate Office in Falls Church, VA. Reporting to the Manager of Equity Compensation, the successful candidate will support the administration of the company’s stock and cash long-term incentive plans for domestic and international participants. The candidate will provide compensation support for the executive population, including the preparation of VP packages, and ad hoc compensation analyses.
Responsibilities, key experiences and core skills include but are not limited to:
Lead the administration of the Long-term Incentive (LTI) program, ensuring the accurate and timely execution of cash and stock transactions in compliance with the plan rules and regulatory requirements.
Serve as the subject matter expert for various components of plan administration, supporting internal stakeholders and/or plan participants.
Oversee and optimize systems with LTI records, including Fidelity and Workday, ensuring data integrity and operational efficiency.
Prepare and perform a detailed analysis of the annual LTI budget and provide recommendations based on market research, historical spend and retention data.
Analyze data to support the auditing activity with Financial Accounting, Treasury, and Tax including stock reconciliation between the transfer agent, our third party administrator and Financial Accounting.
Extensive collaboration with payroll, information systems specialists and outside vendors to ensure compliance with stock/cash plans. This includes the review of payroll’s tax allocations for business travel and multi-state tax withholding implications.
Track terminations to ensure the treatment of outstanding awards are accurate within Fidelity, our third party administrator, and employee tax profiles are updated appropriately. Review LTI provisions and consult with payroll, tax and legal as needed to ensure proper treatment of LTI upon termination.
Monitors and responds to various requests including the review of 10b5-1 plans, stock trade pre-clearance, LTI impact analyses and termination scenarios.
Assist in preparing the annual and periodic review of stock ownership guidelines for appointed and elected officers. This includes preparing executive summary presentations for the board and leadership.
Develop and deliver participant communications, educational materials and training resources related to the LTI program.
Conduct research and analyses in support of the Company’s 10-K and proxy reporting, litigation activities, tax, compensation, labor and securities law, financial planning, accounting and reporting activities. Recommend appropriate actions
Maintain and update stock plan documentation for both internal and SOX compliance.
Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and best practices across LTI administration and related compensation activities.
Ability to work independently, collaborate and build strong working relationships across the organization.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, ability to demonstrate judgment in working through complex transactions, communicate observations and insights from multiple data sources, translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Demonstrated focus on quality of work and attention to detail.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 8 years relevant experience OR Master’s degree with a minimum of 6 years relevant experience
Experience in equity compensation, compensation, HR operations, payroll or finance.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, lookups, data modeling, and complex analytical functions.
Preferred Qualifications:
Strong knowledge of equity compensation plans, including restricted stock units and cash-based awards, and related taxation and regulatory requirements in the U.S. and certain international countries.
Experience administering equity compensation programs using Fidelity Stock Plan Services or a similar equity administration platform, and Workday.
Possess a Certified Equity Professional (CEP) designation.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree with at least 6 years of relevant experience
- Experience in equity compensation, compensation, HR operations, payroll, or finance
- Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency, including pivot tables, lookups, data modeling, and complex analytical functions
- Knowledge of equity compensation plans, including restricted stock units, cash-based awards, taxation, and regulatory requirements
- Experience administering equity compensation programs using Fidelity Stock Plan Services or a similar platform and Workday
- Certified Equity Professional designation
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.









