Sr. Principal Quality Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes 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. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is looking for a 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 Bachelor of Science Degree in a STEM field with a minimum of 8 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance, or equivalent in Manufacturing, Process, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering; OR a minimum of 6 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance with a Master’s Degree; OR a minimum of 4 years of engineering experience in Quality Assurance with a PhD. 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. Active 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 and 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 DoD 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 for data analysis and 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. Primary Level Salary Range: $111,700.00 - $167,500.00 Employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and discretionary bonuses in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses reward individual contributions and company results. Executive positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. Benefits include health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, company-paid holidays, and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and personal business. 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 our website. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions. Job Category: Engineering #J-18808-Ljbffr Northrop Grumman Corp. (JP)