Principal Engineer Manufacturing

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START:
No

CLEARANCE TYPE:
None

TRAVEL:
Yes, 10% of the Time

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 Aerospace Systems Sector has an opening for a Principal Engineer Manufacturing to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position is located in El Segundo, CA and supports the F-35 program. This role specifically supports the Advanced Composite Shop (ACC) which fabricates and assembles composites parts that are sent to either the F-35 Assembly Line located at our Palmdale facility or directly to the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.

We are seeking a technically capable engineer who brings a positive attitude and thrives in a collaborative, high-energy team environment. We are also seeking a driven and hands‑on manufacturing engineer to support Precision Milling Machine (PMM) operations within our composites manufacturing environment. This role is responsible for improving and sustaining machining, drilling, trimming, and inspection processes for tight‑tolerance composite parts.

The ideal candidate will have a strong manufacturing background with experience in machining processes, root cause analysis, process optimization, and cross‑functional collaboration. This position requires a proactive engineer who thrives on the production floor, uses data to solve problems, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and communicates effectively with varying levels of program. This is a high‑impact role requiring close partnership with operators, quality, tooling, and upstream composite fabrication teams to ensure first‑pass yield, rate readiness, and product quality.

The selected candidate will join a high‑performing team of 13 manufacturing engineering professionals supporting a dynamic composites production environment. This team is known for strong technical capability, high engagement, and a collaborative culture where teammates actively support one another in solving complex manufacturing challenges. In addition to delivering results, the team values connection and engagement through events such as team potlucks, breakfast gatherings, and other morale‑building activities that foster strong working relationships.

• Review engineering drawings, CAD models and interpret GD&T for fabrication of parts.
• Develops and maintain detailed work instructions and bill‑of‑material.
• Provide guidance on manufacturing processes and procedures and work effectively with engineering, manufacturing, M&P, MPE, tooling, QE/QA, IE and GSC organizations to help resolve any issues.
• Provide daily manufacturing engineering support to PMM operators involving machining, drilling, trimming, and inspection of composite parts. Educates/train operators on new and existing processes.
• Investigate root causes for dimensional, profile, trim, and hole‑location defects found during PMM operations and across upstream manufacturing processes (i.e. lamination, cure, tooling, handling, etc.). Develop and implement corrective actions to reduce scraps, rework and repair time.
• Analyze production and quality data to identify recurring issues, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Optimize tooling, machine loading methods, work instructions, and process flow to improve efficiency and support cost reduction. Support any changes to the process through process validation…