Quality Engineer (Level 3 or 4)

Responsibilities
This position will provide Quality Engineering and Mission Assurance support to programs within the Large Cal Portfolio of the Ammunition Operating Unit. This role is on-site production line support at a supplier's location and includes: directly assessing the supplier's conformance to quality requirements, supplier process monitoring, documentation monitoring, source inspection and product acceptance. The role may include working with the supplier on application of quality tools, drawing reviews, customer interface/reports/submittals and reviewing product acceptance data.
Position reports to the Ammunition Quality Manager supporting Large Caliber programs in Plymouth MN.
Location
This position is based in Burlington Iowa at the on the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant where the supplier American Ordinance is located and requires on-site support.
Travel
Position may require travel up to 25% time including reoccurring travel to Plymouth MN.
Job Duties

Perform on-site monitoring of manufacturing lines and supplier production processes. In conjunction with the Supplier Quality team, perform assessments of suppliers' capabilities and conformance to their Quality System.
Act as an extension of the Plymouth Program Quality team that is empowered to exercise discretion in real time situations when initiative is required due to time or communications constraints
Ensure supplier maintains compliance to contract quality requirements, including their compliance to their Quality System processes.
Provide expertise and guidance to program teams and suppliers on quality assurance, quality systems, tools, training, problem solving, statistical analysis and continuous improvement opportunities applicable to the supported supplier.
Work with the supplier for timely maintenance and review of process capability analysis such as Cpk and Ppk calculation and SPC updates and monitoring.
Perform Source Inspection and support on site Acceptance Testing at the supplier for completed product. This will include working with customer representatives as needed, including DCMA and / or Customer Program Office representatives.
Support and/or lead Quality elements of any failure investigations tied to the supplier in conjunction with the Program Quality team, Supplier Quality team and customers. Provide assistance with technical diagnosis of root cause analysis and implementation of corrective actions with resolution of customer complaints or field failures. Develop solutions as appropriate to eliminate the recurrence of the issue.
If non-conformances are identified at the supplier work with the NG program team to guide the supplier Operations and Manufacturing Engineering teams to initiate effective containment, investigation, and countermeasure activities to prevent defect outflow both in-house at the supplier and to Customers.
Review drawings for inspection capability and conformance to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing standards.
Work with the specific Program Quality Engineers on supplier related documentation including: identifying quality flow down requirements for the supplier, understanding and communicating inspection requirements with the supplier, working with the program to conduct PO reviews with the supplier, working with the program to conduct Build and Production Readiness Reviews with the supplier and provide assistance with creation and maintenance of Contract Data Requirement List (CDRL) data requirements.
Evaluate manufacturing methods and inspection capabilities. Provide Quality input to the Northrop Grumman Program team on supplier manufacturing processes including inspection and key characteristics.
Report status on supplier tasks and readiness to program management, quality management and customers.
Basic Qualifications
This position may be filled as a level 3 (Principal) or level 4 (Sr Principal) Quality Engineer as it relates to the candidate's level of education and/or years of experience.
Qualifications for Principal Quality Engineer (Level 3)

Bachelor of since degree in STEM discipline plus 5 years of experience as Quality Engineer, or master's degree plus 3 years of experience
Experience working in a Quality role in a regulated industry (i.e. Aerospace/Defense, Medical Device, Automotive, Nuclear, etc...)
Experience in a Manufacturing environment.
Must be a US Citizen
Must be able to obtain and maintain a government Secret Clearance
Driven self-starter with high initiative and motivated self-learner with the ability to work independently
Strong background in inspection equipment, techniques and general knowledge of Metrology and Calibration
Solid understanding of Drawings and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
Solid knowledge of Quality tools and skills (Statistics, DOE, Measurement System Evaluation, FMEA)
Experience facilitating Root Cause Corrective Action activities involving multiple functions and / or organizations.
Excellent verbal and written communications skills with internal / external customers
Qualifications for Sr Principal Quality Engineer (Level 4)

Bachelor of since degree in STEM discipline plus 8 years of experience as Quality Engineer, or master's degree plus 6 years of experience
Experience working in a Quality role in a regulated industry (i.e. Aerospace/Defense, Medical Device, Automotive, Nuclear, etc...)
Experience in a Manufacturing environment.
Must be a US Citizen
Must be able to obtain and maintain a government Secret Clearance
Driven self-starter with high initiative and motivated self-learner with the ability to work independently
Strong background in inspection equipment, techniques and general knowledge of Metrology and Calibration
Solid understanding of Drawings and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
Solid knowledge of Quality tools and skills (Statistics, DOE, Measurement System Evaluation, FMEA)
Experience facilitating Root Cause Corrective Action activities involving multiple functions and / or organizations.
Excellent verbal and written communications skills with internal / external customers
Preferred Qualifications:

Manufacturing experience with metals, electronics or energetic products production.
Six Sigma Green or Black Belt formal certification
Experience in a Defense contract environment
Familiarity with AS9100 Quality Management Systems.
ASQ Quality Engineer Certification (CQE) or equivalent
Experience with TIPQA
Primary Level Salary Range: $84,700.00 - $127,100.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $105,800.00 - $158,600.00The 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.

Client-provided location(s): Burlington, IA

Job ID: NorthropGrumman-R10220534

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-01-25T19:46:31