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Flight Inspector 3/ Flight Inspector 4

Northrop Grumman

Palmdale, CAJob$73–144K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 6 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$73–144K/yr
Location
Palmdale, CA
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.

Top Secret clearance, required

Job overview

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Flight Inspector 3 or 4 in Palmdale, California, to support test personnel and ensure compliance with documented processes and procedures. The role covers pre-test readiness, configuration verification, witnessing tests, documenting defects and results, reviewing post-test documentation, identifying quality problems, and ensuring equipment is calibrated. The position requires an active in-scope U.S. Government Top Secret clearance and the ability to obtain Special Program Access.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Screen Verification, requiredEngineering Document Interpretation, requiredInspection Tools, requiredMeasurement Tools, requiredNonconformance Documentation, nice to haveDiscrepancy Reporting, nice to haveComposite Inspection, nice to haveAssembly Structure Inspection, nice to haveProof Load Testing, nice to haveVibration Testing, nice to haveCustomer Interface, nice to have

Qualifications

High School Diploma or Equivalent, required4+ Years Education or Related Experience, required6+ Years Education or Related Experience, requiredActive Top Secret Clearance, requiredSpecial Program Access, requiredFAA Airframe and Powerplant License, nice to havePreliminary Review Authority, requiredFirst Pass Yield 94%+, nice to haveCurrent Program PAR, nice to have

Benefits

Medical Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off

Full 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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking Flight Inspector 3/ Flight Inspector 4 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals located in Palmdale, CA .

Essential responsibilities:

Support test personnel to ensure compliance with documented processes and procedures. The Candidate will:

  • Participate in pre-test activities such as review of test plan and test procedure documentation

  • Verify that all pre-test readiness activities are complete

  • Assess readiness to enter formal test events

  • Ensure the physical and digital test environment and configuration (e.g., lab, computers, hardware, firmware, software, versions, checksums, etc.) is consistent with the documented configuration

  • Witness testing to ensure approved test procedures are executed as written

  • Ensure all defects and anomalies are documented

  • Ensure all documentation is complete (logbooks, forms etc.) in accordance with prescribed procedures

  • Verify that test results are documented

  • Participate in post-test activities such as review of test report documentation and collection of test metrics

  • Identify quality problems and recommend solutions

  • Ensure equipment is properly calibrated and damaged items are properly dispositioned

Basic Qualifications

  • Flight Inspector 3: High School diploma or equivalent and 4 additional years of education and/or related quality/mission assurance experience

  • Flight Inspector 4: High School diploma or equivalent and 6 additional years of education and/or related quality/mission assurance experience

  • Familiarity with aircraft/control element/lab unit screen verification

  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings/specifications, blueprints, specs, and other technical documents.

  • Proficiency using inspection/measurement tools such as (micrometers, calipers, height gauges, optical comparators, etc.)

  • Must have an active in-scope US Government Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain.

  • Must be able to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR)

  • Telecommute/remote is not an option for this position.

  • Ability to work variable shifts, overtime/weekends as required and meet physical demands (heights/stands/ladders, confined spaces as applicable).

Preferred Qualifications

  • FAA certified Airframe and Powerplant License

  • Preliminary Review Authority or previous Preliminary Review Authority is required with a first pass yield of 94% or greater.

  • Experience documenting nonconformances, Inspecting and generating discrepancy reports, Composite Fabrication or Inspection, Assembly Structure Inspection, Proof Load Testing, Vibration Testing, Interfacing directly with customers

  • Current program PAR

Primary Level Salary Range: $72,600.00 - $121,000.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $86,300.00 - $143,800.00

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: Flight Operations

How this job compares

Set against the 592 open Quality Inspector jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 12, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$73–144K/yr
  • US median$58–90K/yr65 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $108K, is 44% above the US median midpoint ($75K) — in the top quarter of Quality Inspector salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 76 open Quality Inspector jobs in California and 592 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
Quality Inspector postings that state a minimum ask for 3 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 2 to 5 years (373 postings).
Education
This posting asks for a high school diploma; 282 of the 592 open Quality Inspector jobs (48%) ask for a high school diploma or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 12, 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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