Description
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, but they're also making history.
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems (NGAS) has an opening for a Sr. Principal Project Manager (Level 4) to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within the F35 Modification Management organization. This role is an onsite opportunity which may be located in Fort Worth, TX; San Diego, CA; Beaufort, SC; Cherry Point, NC; or Yuma, AZ.
The Sr. Principal Project Manager will be responsible for the delivery of all contractual requirements on cost and schedule, while achieving all technical requirements and creating customer intimacy to support value creation strategies and actions. The individual will own and maintain aircraft modification schedules and execution performance through close coordination with the F35 Depot Flow Plan scheduling team, the F35 Modifications Manager, the F-35 Modifications Integrator, Field Team Leads, and onsite Contract Field Team (CFT) leadership.
What You'll Get to Do:
Reviews status of projects and budgets; manages schedules and prepares daily status reports. Assesses project issues and develops resolutions to meet productivity, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction goals and objectives. Develops mechanisms for monitoring project progress and for intervention and problem solving. Primary responsibilities and job duties may also include, but are not limited to:
Working side by side with the Program Manager to ensure all deliverables are accurate and delivered in a timely manner.
Serve as the senior project manager for F 35 aircraft modification induction, execution, and sell off at depot and operational sites (e.g., MCAS Miramar, NAS Lemoore, and other F 35 locations), ensuring aircraft are returned to the customer on time and within scope.
Develop, integrate, and maintain detailed modification schedules in alignment with the F 35 Depot Flow Plan, including multiple concurrent mods, inspections, and repair activities (e.g., Time Compliance Technical Directives (TCTDs), Corrosion Inspections, and unit requested Production Asset Inspection Requirements (PAIRs), Action Request (AR) support).
Partner side-by-side with the Program Manager to ensure all customer deliverables, reports, and briefings are accurate, data driven, and delivered in a timely manner.
Lead and coordinate cross functional Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) across engineering (including Low Observable and structures), quality, production operations, supply chain, training, and business management to achieve program objectives.
Coordinate closely with external stakeholders including USMC/USN customers, individual site leads, depot/Modification, Retrofit, Overhaul & Upgrade (MRO&U) points of contact, and domestic/international partners to communicate aircraft status, risks, and recovery plans.
Drive Risk and Opportunity Management for the F 35 Modification Management program: identify, analyze, track, and report risks; develop and implement mitigation plans; and monitor residual risk through execution.
Ensure implementation of new processes and continuous improvement actions based on QA results, customer feedback, and lessons learned (e.g., Internal Corrective Action Request (iCAR) / Site/Supplier Corrective Action Request (SCAR) / Letter of Concern (LOC) corrective actions, training effectiveness, attrition trends).
Ensure IPTs understand and adhere to contract scope, Statement of Work (SOW), and contract change; manage changes through control board activities and ensure alignment across CFT teams.
Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, and performance baselines; monitor and control cost and schedule to meet contractual and stakeholder expectations.
Serve as the program Control Account Manager (CAM) and Earned Value Management (EVMS) coordinator.
Support the development of Basis of Estimates (BOEs) and proposals for follow on contracts supporting F-35 modifications, sustainment, and repairs scope using historical performance, quality metrics, and lessons learned.
Basic Qualifications for SR Principal Project Manager (Level 4)
Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of related experience as defined below, OR a Master’s degree and 6 years of related experience as defined below.
An Active, In-scope, Government Secret Security Clearance with the last investigation occurring within the last five (5) years
Related experience includes professional and/or military experience including project management, program management, sustainment, engineering, depot/MRO&U or flightline maintenance, capture efforts, and/or business management related functions.
Demonstrated use of MS Office Suite applications, including Excel for data analysis, tracking and reporting; Word for formal documentation; PowerPoint for executive and customer/stakeholder briefings; and MS Project for schedule development and tracking.
Demonstrated experience in F 35 maintenance and modifications including, but not limited to, aircraft structures, software, avionics and electronics systems, weapons, fuel, hydraulic systems, and low observable/stealth coatings and repairs.
Proven ability to lead teams of geographically separated people to accomplish tasks without direct authority over them (e.g., CFT or field/depot teams).
Familiarity with U.S. military flightline operations and constraints.
Experience leading cross functional teams to achieve program objectives and align execution across engineering, plans and schedules, production, quality, and supply chain.
Demonstrated experience applying business and financial management principles supporting program or project execution, including cost account management, financial tracking, forecasting or performance reporting.
Demonstrated experience coordinating work across multiple internal and external stakeholders, including cross functional teams supporting project and program deliverables.
Experience supporting Risk and Opportunity Management activities, including risk identification, tracking, mitigation planning, or reporting.
Experience supporting monitoring and control of program plans, cost and schedule baselines to support contractual requirements and stakeholder expectations/deliverables.
Preferred Qualifications
Deep understanding of F35 maintenance and modifications, particularly F35B/C and F35 operations at USMC/USN bases (e.g., MCAS Miramar, MCAS Beaufort, NAS Lemoore).
Experience leading site level F35 modification or sustainment teams (e.g., CFT, depot level mods) and delivering multiple aircraft inductions/sales on schedule with high QA pass rates.
Experience applying Earned Value Management (EVM) on development, modification, or sustainment programs, including variance analysis and development of corrective action plans.
Experience supporting Government sustainment programs or contracts.
Experience interfacing directly with external customers (U.S. Services and/or international partners) at the base/site level.
Experience supporting MRO&U operations for aircraft in flightline, field level, or depot maintenance/mod environments.
Experience with aircraft technical documentation generation, field engineering action requests, and engineering support for fielded aircraft.
Experience coordinating with domestic and international suppliers/subcontracts.
Experience with executing spares and repairs contracts.
Prior military experience, particularly F35 experience in maintenance, logistics, depot management, low observable survivability, and/or sustainment.
Experience authoring BOEs and developing proposals.
An active U.S. Government Secret clearance
Advanced to expert level MS Office Software Suite skills with emphasis on MS Excel, MS Word, and MS Project.
#ASMT
Primary Level Salary Range: $123,400.00 - $185,000.00The 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.Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree and 8 years of related experience OR Master's degree and 6 years of related experience
- Active, in-scope U.S. Government Secret security clearance with last investigation within five years
- Experience in project management, program management, sustainment, engineering, depot/MRO&U or flightline maintenance, capture efforts, and/or business management functions
- Demonstrated use of MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) for analysis, reporting, and briefings; MS Project for schedule development and tracking
- Demonstrated experience in F-35 maintenance and modifications (structures, software, avionics, weapons, fuel, hydraulic systems, low observable coatings/repairs)
- Proven ability to lead geographically separated teams without direct authority (CFT or field/depot teams)
- Familiarity with U.S. military flightline operations and constraints
- Experience leading cross-functional teams across engineering, production, quality, supply chain, and business management
- Experience applying business and financial management principles, including cost account management, financial tracking, forecasting, and performance reporting
- Experience coordinating work across multiple internal and external stakeholders, including cross-functional teams and external customers/partners
- Experience supporting Risk and Opportunity Management (identification, tracking, mitigation planning, reporting)
- Experience monitoring and controlling program plans, cost and schedule baselines to meet contractual requirements and stakeholder expectations
- Serve as program Control Account Manager (CAM) and Earned Value Management System (EVMS) coordinator
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.

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