Principal Quality Engineer/Sr. Principal Quality Engineer 3/4

About the role

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is looking for a Principal Quality Engineer / Sr. Principal Quality Engineer to support the Quality and Mission Assurance team located in Apopka, FL. The selected candidate will demonstrate solid written and verbal technical communication skills and strong interpersonal abilities, building and sustaining positive relationships with stakeholders and customers at all levels from shop-floor interactions to senior management briefings.

Responsibilities

• Develop, modify, apply, and maintain quality evaluation, control systems, and protocols for processing materials into partially finished or finished products.
• Partner with engineering and manufacturing to establish and uphold quality standards.
• Design, analyze, and implement inspection and testing processes and equipment; conduct quality assurance tests, perform statistical analyses to determine cost and responsibility for non-conforming parts.
• Audit quality systems, identify deficiencies, and drive corrective actions that meet reliability and documentation requirements; plan, conduct, report, and follow‑up on audits to ensure compliance and continual process improvement.
• Review contracts/SOWs/drawings to evaluate, interpret and apply company policies, ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC, and other standards applicable.
• Interface with production‑floor roles (inspection, assembly, operations) and communicate clearly with all stakeholders.
• Identify and remove barriers to quality improvement through root‑cause analysis and corrective‑action planning.
• Define, classify, and control quality characteristics for products, processes, and services; develop and validate control plans and work‑instruction updates.
• Manage nonconformances across the facility, lead cross‑functional containments to ensure product compliance.
• Create, use, and interpret quality‑control tools (flowcharts, Pareto, control charts) and conduct benchmarking to drive system‑wide improvements.
• Facilitate team collaboration with brainstorming, conflict‑resolution, and other facilitation techniques.
• Interpret technical drawings and specifications to verify compliance with design requirements.
• Develop and analyze Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (FMEAs) to identify risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Specialize in design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation & reliability, inventory control, or R&D as they apply to product or process quality.

Requirements

• For a Level 3:
  • Bachelor of Science Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field with a minimum of 5 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes, or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions; or
  • Minimum of 3 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions with a Masters Degree in a STEM field; or
  • Minimum of 1 year of engineering experience in Quality Assurance or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions with a PhD in a STEM field.
• For a Level 4:
  • Bachelor of Science Degree in a STEM field with a minimum of 8 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions; or
  • Minimum of 6 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions with a Masters Degree in a STEM field; or
  • Minimum of 4 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering fields performing technical job functions with a PhD in a STEM field.
• Experience with Data Analytics and Statistical Analysis methods and techniques.
• Experience with at least one of the following Standards: IPC, J-Std, MIL-STD.
• Experience in PFMEA (or any other risk analysis methodology).
• Experience facilitating RCCAs with technical groups.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret Clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Qualifications

• Strong background in design and/or operations (manufacturing, quality, etc.) of microelectronics and/or wafer processing.
• Earned Value Management CAM experience.
• Expertise with ISO 9001 or AS9100 Quality Management System and AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI).
• Green/Black Belt Certified in Lean Six‑Sigma.
• Certified in Lean and Six‑Sigma methodologies.
• Certified auditor.
• SAP expertise.
• Active U.S. Government Secret Clearance.
• Expertise leading cross‑functional teams to resolve problems or issues.
• Expertise using Microsoft Excel, Minitab or equivalent tools for statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of modern skillsets such as Artificial Intelligence, SQL, Power BI to aid in data analysis and data visualization.
• Expertise with FMEAs, CARs, and audits.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).
• Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC‑A‑610.
• Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) – IPC/WHMA‑A‑620.

Pay

Primary Salary Range: $89,400.00 – $134,200.00

Secondary Salary Range: $111,700.00 – $167,500.00

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.

Schedule

Travel: Yes, 10% of the time.