Principal Quality Engineer or Senior Principal Quality Engineer
- Salary
- $103.6K–$155.4KUSD
- Moves you to
- United States
- Support
- Relocation support
- Posted
- Sep 29, 2026
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 Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a Principal Quality Engineer or Senior Principal Quality Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals located in Palmdale, CA, El Segundo, CA, or San Diego, CA. Telecommute/remote is not an option for this position. This position’s standard work schedule for Palmdale is a 4/10 work week, and for El Segundo and San Diego is a 9/80 work week.
The Principal Quality Engineer or Senior Principal Quality Engineer will:
- Responsible for the implementation of Mission Assurance principles across the program to ensure compliance with contractual, regulatory and NG requirements
- Support coordination and implementation of all engineering activities, ensuring all individual IPT plans are sufficient quality, completeness, and detail (technical, cost, schedule)
- Execute an integrated a mission assurance plan for the program along with supporting plans that align with contractual requirements and stakeholder goals
- Advocates and implements continuous improvement opportunities, identifying and executing tasks to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of NG processes
- Investigates quality problems, issues, and failures through root cause investigation and corrective action implementation
- The selected candidate should thrive in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, collaborative/team settings across all levels
- Performs technical issue assessment, provides technical guidance, and plans for resolution
- Support and provide guidance for all program engineering processes from project inception to project completion
Basic Qualifications for the Principal Quality Engineer:
- Bachelor’s degree (STEM) in Engineering (electrical, mechanical, systems, aerospace) with 5 years experience, Master’s Degree (STEM) with 3 years experience, or PhD (STEM) with 1 years experience
- Understanding and broad application of engineering systems, and DoD Mil specs and standards
- Demonstrated ability to work with minimal oversight and in a multi-discipline team environment, providing insight and solutions to complicated issues both technical and procedural
- Experience with leading process improvement projects
- Trained and experienced in performing root cause corrective action
- Experience with AS9100/ISO9001 Quality Management Systems
- Active US Secret Clearance and ability to obtain program access
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree (STEM) with 3 years experience
- Experience or strong understanding of system engineering principles, disciplines, and tools
- Active Top Secret Clearance with program access
Basic Qualifications for the Senior Principal Quality Engineer:
- Bachelor’s Degree (STEM) in Engineering (electrical, mechanical, systems, aerospace) with 8 years experience, Master’s Degree (STEM) with 6 years experience, or PhD Degree (STEM) with 4 years experience
- Understanding and broad application of engineering systems, and DoD Mil specs and standards
- Demonstrated ability to work with minimal to no oversight and in a multi-discipline team environment, providing insight and solutions to complicated issues both technical and procedural
- Leading teams on process improvement projects
- Experienced in leading and facilitating root cause corrective action for teams
- Experience as lead auditor with AS9100/ISO9001 Quality Management Systems
- Active US Secret Clearance and ability to obtain program access
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree (STEM) with 6 years experience
- Experience or strong understanding of system engineering principles, disciplines, and tools
- Active Top Secret Clearance with program access
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00The 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.
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About Us
We are a pioneering company.
With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.