An organization within Northrop Grumman’s Payload and Ground Systems (PGS) division, Spacecraft Components is a leading designer, producer, and supplier of spacecraft components that power and enable satellites of all classes. Products include spacecraft panels, bus structures, precision optical structures, deployable structural systems and mechanisms, solar arrays, and antenna reflectors. Our products are on virtually every U.S. satellite built in the last 20 years. 

Learn more about Mission Enabling Products at our website: https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/spacecraft-components/. 

Payload and Ground Systems is looking to add a Manufacturing Engineering Manager Level 1 to the Deployables team. This role will be managing the functional activities of Manufacturing Engineers at the site in Goleta, CA.  

Key Responsibilities: 

• Design manufacturing processes, procedures and production layouts for assemblies, equipment installation, processing, machining and material handling.  

• Design sequence of operations and specifies procedures for the fabrication of tools and equipment and other functions that affect product performance.  

• Incorporate inspection and test requirements into the production plan.  

• Inspect performance of equipment and tools to verify their efficiency, and investigates and initiates corrective action of problems and deficiencies to ensure product quality.  

• Develops manufacturing processes that are applicable to statistical process control, and may develop those techniques.  

• Ensures processes and procedures are in compliance with regulations. 

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

• Manage the functional activities of Manufacturing Engineers. 

• In addition to functional Section Manager duties, will perform IPT engineering tasks, which will comprise most of the statement of work. 

• Process oversight, participation in the performance review process, management of personnel records and participation in corrective or disciplinary actions. 

• Staffing responsibilities may include hiring, recruiting of personnel, and working to ensure that engineers with the appropriate skills and experience are deployed. 

• Mentor, provide career guidance and coaching, and leading others. 

• Use excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

Leadership  

• Contribute to achievement of site and/or functional department strategic and tactical goal  

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, teamwork and disciplined root cause problem solving  

• Provide cross-functional leadership by facilitating collaboration between departments to find real-time solutions to internal constraints and/or external customer issues  

Talent Management 

• Proactively strengthen the Manufacturing Engineering team through the performance management process; including individual and group goal setting, coaching and personnel development, recognition and performance improvement 

• Manage individual workloads by assigning Manufacturing Engineers to direct programs and indirect continuous improvement initiatives 

• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering Functional Manager on talent acquisition 

• Use program budget allocations to forecast headcount and initiate hiring or project assignment changes accordingly 

 
Program Execution 

• Accountable for meeting or exceeding the safety, quality, delivery, employee and cost expectations of internal and external customers of the Manufacturing Engineering team 

• Responsible to ensure accurate production planning is executed through development of detailed manufacturing bills of materials, manufacturing work instructions, tooling and processes 

• Collect, analyze and report metrics / key performance indicators (first pass yield, queue times, ready work status) and take appropriate action to mitigate risks and improve team performance 

• Follow escalation protocol to communicate/escalate key issues related to safety, quality, delivery, employee and cost upward to functional/site leadership and downward into the organization 

• Ensure financial operating integrity by supporting financial planning, budgeting and forecasting for proposals and awarded contracts (direct labor yield, overhead rates, program budgets) 

Technical Guidance  

• Provide proactive technical support and oversight to Flexible Solar Array and Unique Deployables Manufacturing Engineers to ensure Program Build Plans, MWI Release Plans, Compliance Matrices are aligned with customer and program requirements   

• Provide proactive risk mitigation by ensuring that Manufacturing Readiness Reviews and technical Peer Reviews are conducted as required 

• Provide technical support in leading and supporting root cause and corrective action investigations 

Basic Qualifications: 

• 5 years of relevant experience with a Bachelors degree; 3 years of relevant experience with a Masters degree; 0 years of relevant experience with a PhD; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree 

• Must be willing and able to travel to other Northrop Grumman and/or customer sites as needed.  

• Must be a U.S. Citizen. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated technical leadership and management experience. 

• At least 5 years of applicable Manufacturing Engineering experience on space hardware.   

• Excellent communication skills and ability to effectively interact with the customer and program management. 

• Proficiency with MS Office software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Project). 

• Experience working actively in electronic ERP and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)