Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Department Manager, Engineering M3 to lead the  AISR&T Systems organization. This role reports to the Engineering Integration & Execution (EI&E) leader on the AISR&T program. This leadership role is located on-site in San Diego, CA.

The Department Manager is accountable for the performance, development, and engagement of a large engineering organization consisting of section managers and individual contributors. The role balances people leadership, technical oversight, and operational execution in a complex, program-driven environment.

This leader plays a critical role in aligning functional capabilities with program needs, enabling successful execution across cost, schedule, quality, and technical performance.

Key Responsibilities:

People Leadership & Talent Management

• Lead all aspects of personnel management, including workforce planning, hiring, retention, engagement, redeployment, and succession planning.
• Partner closely with program leadership, HR, and functional peers to align talent to current and future program needs.
• Support staffing for section manager and senior technical roles, including requisition development, interview facilitation, onboarding, and mentoring.
• Foster a culture of engagement, collaboration, accountability/ownership, and belonging by modeling Northrop Grumman leadership behaviors: Sets a vision, builds a high performing team, takes ownership, leads with courage, responds to challenges with resilience and acts with speed
• Conduct performance management activities, including goal setting, quarterly connections, leadership development, and knowledge sharing activities.

Execution & Operational Leadership

• Drive day-to-day execution of departmental activities in support of program objectives.
• Serve as Delegation of Authority (DOA) in the absence of the Department Manager and/or EI&E leadership, as required.
• Ensure consistent application of functional engineering processes, tools, and best practices in alignment with the Center of Technical Excellence.
• Partner across functions to support cross-discipline and intra-discipline integration activities, data analysis, metrics development, and performance reporting in coordination with Strategy, Integration, and Operations.

Technical & Program Oversight

• Provide engineering leadership oversight for technical execution activities, including:
  • Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations
  • System Engineering Technical Reviews (SETRs), such as System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRRs);Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR).
  • Process audits and Independent Review Team (IRT) engagements
• Support long-range strategic planning efforts and execute special assignments as required.

Our Leaders at Northrop Grumman live our values daily and encourage our teams to do the same. We do the right thing: upholding the highest ethical standards and facilitating a safe and respectful environment that attracts, retains, and inspires a diverse and engaged team. We do what we promise: holding yourself and others accountable to meet predictable and balanced results. We commit to shared success:operating as OneNG and removing barriers for our teams. Finally, We pioneer: setting a vision that shapes the future and inspires others.

Basic Qualifications:

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 9 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 7 years of related engineering experience.
• Minimum 5 years of  leadership experience, including first-level or higher people management leadership.
• Experience in leading, mentoring, and developing multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver complex technical solutions, within cost and schedule constraints, across the various phases of the engineering lifecycle.
• Demonstrated capability in workforce and resource planning, including allocating resources across programs, managing workloads and priorities, forecasting staffing needs, and executing end-to-end hiring decisions.
• Must possess an active DoD Secret clearance that is in scope or currently enrolled in continuous evaluation, with the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) access as determined by business needs
• Relevant development experience with Systems Engineering V-Model to include leadership of Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) events.
• Experience with MBSE tools (Cameo, Rhapsody), and legacy requirements management tools (e.g. DOORS). Ability to bridge process and tools appropriately to meet internal as well as customer requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Engineering or a related field.
• Prior people leadership experience of large teams (75+).
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and written/oral communication skills, enabling effective engagement with cross-functional stakeholders and customers.
• Demonstrated experience applying performance management process and HR policies, including goal setting, performance feedback, development planning, and addressing performance concerns in accordance with company policy.
• Experience with Earned Value Management Techniques (EVMS) / Control Account Management (CAM), Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), Basis of Estimates (BOEs) and cost-schedule-risk trade off management.
• Experience with the System Engineering Technical Review process (SRR, PDR, CDR and TRR)
• Experience identifying, developing, and managing performance metrics to support program and technical execution monitoring and control.
• Proven expertise in technical planning, risk&opportunity management, and driving project performance across cost, schedule, and technical quality.
• Demonstrated experience in Mission Engineering-driven high level System architecture.
• Relevant experience and understanding in at least two other areas of engineering including vehicle engineering, avionics, software, test and evaluation, survivability, or product support as it relates to air vehicle or spacecraft development.