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Principal Engineer Process

Northrop Grumman

Los Angeles, CAFull-time$104–155K/yrSeen 3 days agoSeen in employer's feed 2 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$104–155K/yr
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Security clearance, required

Job overview

Northrop Grumman’s Manufacturing Engineering Department seeks a multi-disciplined Manufacturing Engineer to support precision navigation instrument assembly and testing in an aerospace and defense production environment. The role owns manufacturing processes and equipment, develops production layouts and control plans, and works with design, quality, manufacturing, and shop-floor teams. It is full-time and onsite in Woodland Hills, California.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Process Ownership, nice to haveProcess Design, nice to haveProcess Execution, nice to haveEquipment Integration, nice to haveStatistical Process Control, nice to haveControl Plan Development, nice to havePresentation and Briefing, requiredMicrosoft Word, requiredMicrosoft Excel, requiredMicrosoft PowerPoint, requiredTask Prioritization, requiredCleanroom Wafer Fab Processing, nice to havePhotolithography, nice to haveResist Spinning, nice to haveBosch Etching, nice to haveSilicon Wafer Processing, nice to haveMask Aligners, nice to haveDeep Reactive Ion Etching, nice to havePlasma Etching, nice to haveChemical Baths, nice to haveProfilometry, nice to haveOxide Measurement, nice to haveIR Measurement, nice to haveZ-Scope Measurement, nice to haveLithium Niobate Wafer Processing, nice to haveOptical Component Manufacturing, nice to haveSilicon Chip Assembly, nice to haveDicing, nice to haveWire Bonding, nice to haveMechanical Aptitude, requiredLeadership, requiredInterpersonal Skills, requiredTeamwork, required

Qualifications

Bachelor's in STEM, required5+ Years Engineering Experience, requiredMaster's in STEM, required3+ Years Engineering Experience, requiredPhD in STEM, requiredUS Citizenship, requiredSecurity Clearance Eligibility, requiredIntegrated Team Experience, required

Benefits

Relocation Assistance
Medical Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Tuition Assistance

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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 is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. We have a wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies. Our differentiated battle management and Cyber (https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/mission-solutions/cyber) solutions deliver timely, mission-enabling information and provide superior situational awareness and understanding to protect the U.S. and its global allies.

The Manufacturing Engineering Department is looking for a multi-disciplined Manufacturing Engineer to support all aspects of precision navigation instrument assembly and test in an Aerospace and Defense production environment. This position is full time onsite in Woodland Hills, CA.

What You Will Get To Do :

Process ownership is the key—special processing equipment, cleanroom fabrication, complex assemblies, custom designed test equipment, fascinating technology, major programs. The selected candidate will have responsibility in the following areas:

Process Design, Process Execution and Equipment:

  • Takes ownership of the process flow and details—which would include performance of machinery, equipment, tools and the process itself—to verify their accuracy and efficiency.

  • Able to investigate and initiate corrective action of problems and deficiencies to ensure product quality and sustainment.

  • Designing manufacturing processes, procedures and production layouts for production flow, equipment installation, processing steps, and material flow—most in a clean room environment.

  • Designs arrangement of machines within plant facilities to ensure most efficient and productive layout. Designs sequence of operations and specifies procedures for the fabrication of tools and equipment and other functions that affect product performance.

  • Integrates machine and equipment design into the factory and production conditions

  • Develops manufacturing processes that are applicable to statistical process control, and has the capability to develop the control plan techniques.

  • Able to incorporate inspection and test requirements into the production plan.

Product Design:

  • Provides guidance to design engineering organization regarding design concepts and specification requirements to best utilize equipment and manufacturing techniques.

  • Ensures processes and procedures are in compliance with requirements and regulations.

General:

  • Candidate should demonstrate strong initiative and the desire for continuous improvement and technical growth.

  • Candidate will be required to interface with design engineers, quality engineers, manufacturing engineers, and shop floor personnel on a regular basis. Leadership, excellent interpersonal skills and teamwork are essential.

  • The qualified candidates must have a strong mechanical aptitude and understanding of technical principles and theories and a general knowledge of other related disciplines.

Qualifications:

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelors of Science Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and a minimum 5 years of engineering experience; 3 years with a Masters; 0 years with a PhD

  • Expeince preparing presentations, and briefing to Operations leadership, detailing process status, improvement actions and opportunities, and timelines for completion and execution

  • Experience working as part of an integrated team including skilled technicians, engineering peers and Sr. level engineers

  • Experience with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint - able to prioritize multiple tasks in a fast paced, highly technical work environment

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance which requires US citizenship

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience working in a cleanroom wafer fab as a process owner (process, equipment, documentation, special training). Includes photolithography, resist spinning, familiar with Bosch etching process

  • Experience with Silicon wafer processing equipment such as mask aligners, deep reactive ion ethers, plasma etchers, chemical baths

  • Experience with measurement equipment profilometer, oxide measurement, IR, Z-scope

  • Experience with Lithium Niobate wafer processing

  • Experience with optical component manufacturing

  • Experience with silicon chip assembly, dicing, wire-bonding

#MPR

What We Can Offer You:

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family.

Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off, and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

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.

Job Category: Engineering

How this job compares

Set against the 5,681 open Manufacturing Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$104–155K/yr
  • California median$120–175K/yr985 salary ranges
  • US median$97–144K/yr3,274 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $130K, is 13% below the California median midpoint ($149K) — in the middle half of Manufacturing Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 1,144 open Manufacturing Engineer jobs in California and 5,681 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for no prior experience — less than three in four Manufacturing Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 3 years, across 4,507 postings).
Education
3,140 of the 5,681 open Manufacturing Engineer jobs (55%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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