Sr Principal Engineer Quality

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Rolling Meadows
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

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. At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We are looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we ’II support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you ’II have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career. Start your future with a new mission, Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems sector is hiring a Sr Principal Quality Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals supporting the Rolling Meadows facility to the Quality and Mission Assurance Organization supporting programs Multidomain Sensing, Targeting and Survivability (MSTS) division. This opportunity will be located in Rolling Meadows, IL . What You’ll Get To Do: The position will afford the opportunity to interact with all functions and levels of the organization. Effective communication skills are a must. This person will be the primary technical advisor for all the restricted programs across the Rolling Meadows campus. In addition, the candidate will provide expert technical advice and guidance to team members. The ideal candidate will have extensive practical knowledge and experience in the following areas: Identify and address barriers to quality improvement through thorough analysis and corrective actions. Understanding and implementing the root cause corrective action process through a CAR. Evaluate, interpret and apply ISO 9000, AS9102, MIL, IPC, and other standards applicable to designs and processes in factory. Classify and execute various types of quality audits to ensure compliance and continual process improvement. Plan, conduct, report, and follow up on quality audits to verify the implementation of corrective actions. Apply the cost-of-quality concepts to analyze, report, and reduce waste while optimizing quality-related expenses. Define, interpret, and classify quality characteristics for products, processes, and services to ensure design excellence. Interpret technical drawings and specifications, including GD&T symbols, to ensure products meet design requirements. Validate product and process designs using methods such as installation, operational, and process qualification testing. Implement product and process control methods, including control plans and work instruction validations—to sustain quality standards. Manage discoveries of nonconformances through understanding of product movement in facility to address all areas of factory affected by nonconformances. Conduct cross functional discussions to lead complete containments and ensure product compliance. Construct and interpret quality control tools such as flowcharts, Pareto charts, and control charts to monitor process performance. Apply benchmarking techniques to measure performance and drive quality improvements across the system. Apply facilitation tools like brainstorming and conflict resolution to enhance team collaboration and outcomes. Construct and analyze failure mode and effects analyses (FMEAs) to identify potential risks and implement mitigation strategies. Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in a STEM field and a minimum of 8 years of experience or a Master's degree in a STEM field and a minimum of 6 years of experience or 4 years of experience with a Ph.D Active DoD Secret security clearance with an investigation date within the last 6 years US Citizenship Required Preferred Qualifications: Experience and specialty in the areas of design, incoming material, production control, product evaluation and reliability, inventory control and/or research and development as they apply to product or process quality Experience with customer interactions, including DCMA Experience dispositioning hardware for quality related issues in a manufacturing facility Experience with Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) techniques Experience with Material Review Board (MRB) process Experience with SAP Quality Notifications, Production Orders and Purchase Orders Experience with ISO9001 or AS9100 Quality Management System and AS9102 First Article Inspections (FAI) Experience in support of proposals and quoting of Quality hours in bids Experience with CAM responsibilities and/or experience with Earned Value and budgeting Experience using Microsoft Excel, Tableau or equivalent tools for data analysis Familiarity with electrical or mechanical design requirements and specifications Certified in lean and six-sigma quality engineering methodologies Green Belt Certified/Black Belt Certified Primary Level Salary Range: $123,400.00 - $185,000.00 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.

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