Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems MQ-4 Triton Program seeks a Staff Engineer Aeronautical – Triton Air Vehicle Production Manager to support the Air Vehicle IPT in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
The Triton Air Vehicle Production Manager responsibilities include:
- Acts as the primary program contact for the Air Vehicle Enterprise IPT lead directing all phases of Triton Air Vehicle Production program efforts from inception (proposal development) through completion (contract closeout)
- Reports program performance and health metrics to the AV IPT lead and to program leadership.
- Responsible for proposal development and strategy
- Responsible for the cost, schedule and technical performance of the Triton Air Vehicle Production program efforts
- Develops and adheres to Integrated Master Schedules (IMS)
- Develops and adheres to budget baselines utilizing Earned Value Management (EVM) methodologies.
- Lead Air Vehicle engineering change packages (ECP) that require incorporation into the production line or production retrofits
- Lead engineering investigations into issues related Air Vehicle production efforts.
- Manage Air Vehicle production related supplier efforts and support SMT leads including major suppliers Qarbon (wing), Heroux (landing gear) and Aurora (composite fuselage)
- Manage Air Vehicle inputs to production retrofit efforts
- Support production related DMS activities and cut-ins
- Attend and support program level change board activities.
Program assignments will be directly from the Triton Air Vehicle IPT Director. Responsibilities include taking direction from the Program Director and Chief Engineer to give both technical and managerial direction to the subordinate engineering and manufacturing staff. This will include addressing cost, schedule, technical performance, and quality of all production work packages.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 12 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 10 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 7 years experience
- 5+ years of leadership experience and managing engineers
- 5+ years of experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all requirements as either project lead, integrated program team or cost account manager
- 3+ years providing technical leadership of an engineering team
- Minimum of 1 year of experience using Earned Value Management System (EVMS)
- Must have an Active DoD Secret Clearance
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) or PAR/SCI clearance within a reasonable amount of time, as determined by business needs
- Travel approximately 25% of the time
Preferred Qualifications:
- MS Degree in Engineering or Management
- Active DOD Top Secret Clearance/SCI
- Prior experience with Northrop Grumman high altitude long endurance platforms
- Prior experience in Program Management or Engineering leadership experience on a large United States government programs
- Prior experience with US Navy acquisition process
- Prior experience with logistics, spares, provisioning, operations, maintenance for foreign and domestic operations
- Prior experience leading the planning, scheduling, and execution of enterprise-level Operations, Sustainment, or Information Systems Services activities.
- Familiar with technical data development and production processes
- Experience building relationships with strategic customers.
- Experience developing sourcing strategies; to include soliciting/analyzing requests for proposals, negotiating contracts and coordinating supplier integration plans.
- Knowledge of and experience in an Earned Value Management System (EVMS)
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in STEM and at least 12 years of experience; or a master’s degree in STEM with 10 years of experience; or a PhD with 7 years of experience
- At least 5 years of leadership experience managing engineers
- At least 5 years leading tasks delivered on schedule, at cost, and meeting requirements as a project lead, integrated program team lead, or cost account manager
- At least 3 years providing technical leadership to an engineering team
- At least 1 year of experience using an Earned Value Management System
- Active DoD Secret clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program or PAR/SCI clearance within a reasonable timeframe
- Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time
- Master’s degree in Engineering or Management
- Active DoD Top Secret or SCI clearance
- Experience with Northrop Grumman high-altitude, long-endurance platforms
- Program management or engineering leadership experience on large United States government programs
- Experience with the U.S. Navy acquisition process
- Experience with logistics, spares, provisioning, operations, and maintenance for foreign and domestic operations
- Experience leading planning, scheduling, and execution of enterprise-level operations, sustainment, or information systems services activities
- Familiarity with technical data development and production processes
- Experience building relationships with strategic customers
- Experience developing sourcing strategies, analyzing requests for proposals, negotiating contracts, and coordinating supplier integration plans
- Knowledge of and experience with an Earned Value Management System
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.







