Principal/Sr. Principal Manufacturing Engineer Level 3/4

at Northrop Grumman

Record last updated: 7/4/2026 11:54:51 AM

Current Days Open
17
Reqs Seen
4
Current Min Salary
$84,700.00 (Yearly)
Current Max Salary
$127,100.00 (Yearly)
Historical Days Open
113
First Seen
1/23/2026
Lowest Min Salary Seen
$84,700.00 (Yearly)
7/4/2026
Highest Max Salary Seen
$127,100.00 (Yearly)
7/4/2026

Your Negotiation Leverage

Don't guess what the employer expects to pay. This chart tracks a rolling quarter of salary trends for this role, telling you exactly what the market—and this specific company—considers a fair rate. Candideck excludes jobs that hide pay information, ensuring you only spend time on roles that meet your standards.

Full Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be 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 has an opening for a first shift Principal/Sr. Principal Manufacturing Engineer Level 3/4 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. The position will be located in Iuka, MS. This position supports a (B-Shift) Monday Thursday 5:30pm to 4:00am schedule. The selected candidate will provide critical support in a high-volume high-mix production environment, working closely with Operations, Quality, Industrial Engineering, Scheduling and Maintenance. Our goal is to minimize downtime on the production line by troubleshooting, problem solving, and proactively identifying areas of concern. Our engineers work to continuously improve their processes, eliminating process variation and waste while building in quality. Join us in the team effort to meet our production goals! Work closely with manufacturing personnel to tackle production issues in hand layup, automated fiber placement, autoclave cure, paint and assembly processes Maintain and distribute daily shift issue logs, documenting both resolved and pending production issues for enhanced communication and transfers of information between shifts Author, modify, and audit shop floor procedures and electronic work instructions (EWIs) Perform root cause and corrective action (RCCA) activities to permanently eliminate defects Troubleshoot production/equipment/program/tooling issues and implement robust improvements and solutions Work with the quality engineering team to interpret drawings and specifications to process discrepant hardware. The ideal candidate is a self-starter seeking autonomy and possesses both strong written and verbal communication skills. He/she should enjoy collaborating with others of varying backgrounds and roles, including but not limited to Production, Maintenance, and Quality, in a fast-paced environment to solve time-sensitive problems. We are a tight-knit team, and we enjoy working together to reach our mutual goals. Basic Qualifications: Principal Manufacturing Engineer (T03): Bachelor degree with 4 years of experience in the following fields; Manufacturing, Aeronautics, Aerospace, Production, Industrial, Mechanical, Design, Tooling OR Masters Degree with 3 years of experience in mentioned fields; OR PhD with 0 years of experience. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security Clearance Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) Must have U.S. citizenship Sr. Principal Manufacturing Engineer (T04) Bachelor degree with 8 years of experience in the following fields; Manufacturing, Aeronautics, Aerospace, Production, Industrial, Mechanical, Design, Tooling OR Masters Degree with 6 years of experience in mentioned fields; OR PhD with 4 years of experience. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security Clearance Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) Must have U.S. citizenship Preferred Qualifications: Degree in Manufacturing, Aerospace, Mechanical, or Composite Engineering Solid understanding of root cause / corrective action (RCCA) processes and techniques Knowledge of composite part manufacturing Experience in computer-aided design software (NX preferred) Experience drafting, maintaining, and modifying work instructions and/or process specifications Experience reviewing and interpreting engineering drawings and specifications Experience with Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) Familiarization with Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) Active Secret or Top-Secret clearance Primary Level Salary Range: $84,700.00 - $127,100.00 Secondary Level Salary Range: $105,800.00 - $158,600.00 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. Existing Applicants: Need to update your contact information or email address? Once logged in, click on Candidate Home in the upper right corner and scroll to the bottom of that screen to see buttons for: Update Contact information to update your legal name, address, and phone number Edit Account Settings to edit your email address 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.

Compare Your Worth


These similar open positions are filtered to ensure they aren't "Ghost Jobs". Compare their pay ranges to prepare for the infamous "what are your salary expectations?" question. Knowledge of these competing rates is your best tool for negotiation.