At Northrop Grumman Defense Systems we are seeking an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to support our Armament Business site located in Mesa, AZ.
Armament Systems is a leading supplier of integrated medium-caliber weapon systems for land, air and sea platforms through its world-renowned Bushmaster® line of automatic cannons produced at its Mesa, Arizona facility.
Role Description:
This Manufacturing Engineering position is for an engineering role on medium caliber gun system programs within the Armament Systems Division. As part of the Systems Engineering group, the Manufacturing Engineer supports design, production, and supplier development activities.
Responsibilities
The Manufacturing Liaison Engineering position carries the following set of primary responsibilities:
- Works with design, project, manufacturing and quality engineers through the product development process to ensure Design to Cost (DTC) and Design for Assembly/Manufacturing (DFA/DFM) targets are achieved
- Provide guidance to design engineering regarding design concepts and product specification requirements to best utilize equipment and manufacturing techniques
- Understands and interprets engineering drawings and recommend design changes to increase product manufacturability and functionality
- Prepares cost estimates and written technical proposals for product improvement initiatives
- Reviews drawings , Engineering Change Orders, and work instructions for accuracy and completeness
- Participates and/or leads disposition of non-conforming production parts
- Acts as a technical interface to internal production personnel and to external suppliers
- Develops technical relationships with internal production personnel and with external suppliers
- Supports manufacturing trade studies and early supplier involvement
- Shares knowledge with other engineers
- Understands and interprets engineering drawings and recommend design changes to increase product manufacturability and functionality
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, or related STEM field of study
- 8+ years or Master’s plus 6+ yrs of relevant industry experience
- Understanding of GD&T
- Familiarity with computer-aided design (CAD) software, preferably NX
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Project, and Power Point.
- Strong oral and written communication skills with ability to focus on multiple projects and deliver status on risk areas and required actions
- Hands-on assembly/fabrication and familiarity with mechanical/electrical processes, internal workflows, and supplier/customer management.
- Demonstrated effectiveness in achieving results through understanding and management of internal processes and customer/supplier relationships
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance
- Position may require domestic and international travel, <25%
- Must be able to obtain clearance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives as an Employee Possessor.
- Candidates hired into this role need to complete a Gun Control Act Self Certification form.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Materials, heat treatment, and plating processes.
- Military and commercial specifications
- Demonstrated experience with manufacturing processes, such as machining, turning, and grinding.
- Knowledge of IPC-620 and IPC J-STD-001 requirements
- Mechanical design experience with complex gear trains, cams, springs, clutches, machined components, welded structures, electric motors and solenoids
- Experience in product development projects and sustainment of legacy programs for complex aerospace or defense systems
- General understanding of continuous improvement, Six Sigma and Lean methodologies in a low volume, high mix, engineer to order, manufacturing environment
- Experience with shop routing paperwork in a low-level kitting and assembly/processing environment
- Familiar with Material Review Boards (MRB) for product/quality deviation
- Experience in Machine shop, Material process, and MIL-SPEC interpretation is highly desired
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, or related STEM field of study
- 8+ years relevant industry experience (or Master's plus 6+ years)
- Understanding of GD&T
- Familiarity with CAD software, preferably NX
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project, PowerPoint)
- Strong oral and written communication skills and ability to manage multiple projects
- Hands-on assembly/fabrication experience and familiarity with mechanical/electrical processes and supplier/customer management
- Demonstrated effectiveness in managing internal processes and customer/supplier relationships
- U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance
- Ability to obtain Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Employee Possessor clearance and complete Gun Control Act Self Certification
- Position may require domestic and international travel, up to 25%
- Review drawings, Engineering Change Orders, and work instructions; participate/lead disposition of non-conforming production parts
- Act as technical interface to production personnel and external suppliers; support manufacturing trade studies and early supplier involvement
- Prepare cost estimates and technical proposals for product improvement initiatives
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
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