Principal Engineer Quality

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

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, they're making history.

Mission Systems is seeking a Principal Engineer Quality to provide product‑focused quality leadership for the NIMS program located in Salt Lake City, UT.

This role owns and executes the Sell‑Off / End Item Data Package (EIDP) process and provides quality engineering support across the product lifecycle.

The Principal Quality Engineer will work closely with engineering, program management, manufacturing, supply chain, and customer representatives to ensure that quality requirements are clearly defined, properly flowed down, and effectively verified from incoming material through final product acceptance.

What you will get to do:

• Serve as the primary quality point of contact for NIMS Sell‑Off / EIDP activities in Salt Lake City.
• Plan, develop, and maintain Sell‑Off / EIDP content, including configuration listings, as‑built records, test data, inspection reports, material certifications, waivers/deviations, and other required artifacts.
• Ensure customer, contractual, and internal quality requirements are correctly interpreted, flowed into program plans, and verified at product acceptance.
• Lead and/or support customer Sell‑Off events, including agenda preparation, package walk‑throughs, discrepancy resolution, and formal acceptance documentation.
• Coordinate with Systems, Test, Manufacturing, and Software Engineering to ensure requirements traceability and objective evidence are complete and accurate.

MRB / Nonconformance Management / Supplier & Material Flow

• Support the MRB process for NIMS hardware, including review of nonconformances, participation in MRB activities, and ensuring that dispositions align with engineering, quality, and contractual requirements.
• Work with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain to support evaluation and disposition of nonconforming product, including use‑as‑is, repair, and scrap decisions, and to ensure proper documentation and traceability.
• Provide quality engineering support to Receiving Inspection, including review and support of inspection plans, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria for incoming material and supplier hardware.
• Support the Vendor Material Disposition Area (VMDA) by helping ensure timely and accurate segregation, tagging, disposition, and documentation of nonconforming supplier material.

Product & Process Quality

• Collaborate with manufacturing and test organizations to ensure build records, test data, nonconformance documentation, and rework/repair records meet program and customer expectations.
• Identify, document, and help drive closure of nonconformances, defects, and escapes associated with product acceptance and EIDPs.
• Support and/or lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) using structured problem‑solving methods (e.g., 5‑Why, Fishbone, 8D) and help ensure effective corrective/preventive actions are implemented and sustained.
• Develop and maintain program‑level quality plans, inspection plans, and acceptance data requirements for NIMS, spanning incoming inspection through final Sell‑Off.
• Provide quality input to program reviews (e.g., design, production readiness, gate reviews) and deliver concise quality status to leadership and the customer.
• Analyze quality metrics and trends related to nonconformances, rework, supplier performance, and acceptance issues; recommend and help implement improvement actions.
• Support audits and assessments (internal, customer, regulatory) related to product quality, configuration, and documentation.
• Mentor early‑career quality engineers and act as a technical resource for product acceptance, MRB, and EIDP practices.

The ideal candidate must be able to communicate and collaborate in a team environment, interface with customers, internal personnel, suppliers, and must be proficient using Microsoft Office Suite.

Basic Qualifications for the Principal Engineer Quality:

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field with a minimum of 5 years of experience in Quality Assurance, or investigating failures and identifying root causes, or in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering field of work performing technical job functions; Master's with 3 years of experience.
• Experience in hardware product quality, systems quality, or manufacturing quality in an aerospace/defense or similarly regulated environment.
• Experience supporting the MRB process and nonconformance management, including documenting defects and participating in MRB or similar review activities.
• QMS (AS9100, ISO 9001, or similar) experience.
• Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, test procedures, and requirements documents.
• Experience with digital quality systems (e.g., nonconformance/MRB tools, PLM/ERP).
• U.S. Citizenship required;
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience developing and executing EIDPs/Sell‑Off packages for government contracting customers.
• Experience with Receiving Inspection or supplier quality activities (e.g., incoming inspection, supplier defects, return‑to‑vendor).
• Experience with configuration management and as‑built/as‑maintained traceability.
• Experience with industry standards used in the manufacture and assembly of electrical/electronic devices, such as:
  • IPC‑A‑610 – Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies
  • IPC‑J‑STD‑001 – Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies
  • IPC/WHMA‑A‑620 – Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies
  • IPC‑7711/7721 – Rework, Modification and Repair of Electronic Assemblies
  • UL / IEC electrical safety and insulation standards relevant to electronic equipment
• Green Belt / Black Belt, CQE, or other relevant quality certifications.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams, influence without direct authority, and drive closure of complex issues under schedule pressure.
• Current Active Secret Clearance.

Primary Level Salary Range: $89,400.00 - $134,200.00
The 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.