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, they're making history.
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. Builds and sustains positive relationships with stakeholders and customers at all levels from shop-floor interactions to senior management briefings.
What You'll Get To Do:
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.
Basic Qualifications 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 field of work performing technical job functions; OR a minimum of 3 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions with a Masters Degree in a STEM field; OR a minimum of 1 year of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work 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
US Citizenship required
Basic Qualifications for a Level 4:
Bachelor of Science Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field with a minimum of 8 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions; OR a minimum of 6 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions with a Masters Degree in a STEM field; OR a minimum of 4 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, which can include investigating failures and identifying root causes or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering field of work 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
US Citizenship required
Preferred Qualifications
Strong background in design and/or operations (manufacturing, quality, etc) of microelectronics and/or wafer processing
Earned Value Management CAM experience
Expertise with ISO9001 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 US 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