Principal Project Manager

Principal Project Manager

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.

NG Space Systems is looking for a Principal Project Manager to provide leadership as the manager of the Program Management organization for the Propulsion portfolio supporting the Mission Enabling Products (MEP) Business Unit in the fast-growing Intelligence Systems Division (ISD) in Commerce, California.

This position is 100% on-site.

(MEP) is a leading designer, producer, and supplier of spacecraft components that power and enable satellites of all classes. Products include spacecraft panels, bus structures, precision optical structures, deployable structural systems and mechanisms, solar arrays, antenna reflectors and propulsion tanks. Our products are on virtually every U.S. satellite built in the last 20 years.

The selected candidate will serve as a key member of the evolving Propulsion portfolio. The candidate selected will be involved in program execution, cost, schedule, staffing, team building, customer satisfaction, ensuring compliance with organizational processes and procedures, maintaining relationships with and providing status to program leadership and customers. The individual will work along a matrixed-functional team aligned to common program performance goals from inception of an idea through program completion.

As a project manager, the primary objective will support program managers to ensure delivery of all contractual requirements on cost and schedule, while achieving all technical objectives and creating customer intimacy to support value creation strategies and actions.

This role requires experience in a manufacturing environment, strong leadership potential, and collaborative interpersonal skills, along with proven experience working in a dynamic, high-growth, fast-paced, and strategically important operating unit. The selected candidate for this position must work full-time, on-site at the Northrop Grumman Commerce, CA site.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Serve as a primary liaison between Program Management and cross-functional teams throughout proposal, design, procurement, manufacturing, test, and delivery phases.
• Partner with the Program Management team to ensure adherence to contract scope, establish and manage key milestones, and monitor performance against cost and schedule baselines.
• Interface directly with cross-functional and support teams to achieve program objectives, maintain technical integrity, meet customer expectations, and protect schedule commitments.
• Develop, review, and manage budgets, schedules, critical-path activities, Estimates at Completion (EACs), risk and opportunity registers, and workload forecasts.
• Proactively anticipate, identify, evaluate, mitigate, and resolve project issues; develop and execute recovery plans to achieve production, quality, and customer satisfaction objectives.
• Participate in root-cause analysis and corrective-action activities, including failure review boards, material review boards, contract change boards, and engineering change boards.
• Track and drive closure of program action items to ensure timely and complete resolution.
• Support the transition of designs into manufacturing by partnering with technical teams to mitigate risk, implement efficiency improvements and defect-prevention initiatives, achieve delivery targets, and reduce cost.
• Prepare, support, and present at internal and customer-facing program reviews, such as program kickoffs, critical design reviews, manufacturing readiness reviews, test readiness reviews, pre-ship reviews, monthly program reviews, status reviews, Integrated Product Team meetings, and resource allocation reviews.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with customers and suppliers to promote open communication on requirements, performance, and capabilities.
• Support proposal and business development activities, including change orders, new business opportunities, capture efforts, and strategic planning.
• Help manage and safeguard customer-supplied property and information (e.g., GFE, CFE), ensuring proper use and control.
• Adhere to internal processes and applicable industry standards, ensuring compliance and execution discipline.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to ethics and integrity, while contributing to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement that challenges traditional ways of doing business.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering or a related discipline and 5 years' rated experience; OR a Master's degree and 3 years' related experience
• 2+ years' experience in project or program management, project coordination or similar role
• Demonstrated experience managing schedules, cost, and scope in a complex, cross-functional environment
• Strong analytical skills with experience using project management tools
• Proven ability to lead teams without direct authority and influence stakeholders across functions
• Experience working with production, supply chain, and/or engineering teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership and customers
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced MS Office Suite and MS Project skills
• US Citizenship is required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Two years of Program or Project Management experience
• Experience supporting U.S. Government contracts and customers and/or project management in the Aerospace Industry
• Demonstrated success in risk management and recovery planning on distressed projects or programs.
• Use of program management tools such as Earned Value Management System (EVMS), Integrated Master Plan (IMP), Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), and Risk and Opportunity Management
• Experience in Program Management, Engineering and Manufacturing, and/or IPT roles
• Results-oriented, exceptional leadership skills, effective and timely decision-making, and problem-solving skills
• Record developing stakeholder/customer relationships, and shaping requirements
• Broad skill set that is balanced between interpersonal, business, and technical capabilities
• Strong organization skills in both independent and team environments