Principal Engineer Aircraft Support

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. About the Role We are seeking an experienced F‑35 Project Manager / Mod Integrator to join our F‑35 Mod Planning & Integration Team. This role blends aircraft engineering, F-35 Depot Level modification management, and Agile/Scrum leadership to drive successful execution of F‑35 modification, sustainment, and depot‑level activities. You will serve as the primary focal point for sustainment and F-35 mod execution efforts, partnering closely with Lockheed Martin, BAE, Depot Teams, and Contract Field Teams (CFTs) to ensure modification work is delivered predictably, safely, and to the highest standard of quality. This position is ideal for someone who thrives in complex environments, brings structure to ambiguity, and enjoys helping technical teams operate at their best. Key Responsibilities F-35 Mod Planning & Integration/Execution Plan, coordinate, and perform F-35 Mod Execution assignments involving aircraft, engine, system, and component modifications. Develop and evaluate specifications, design changes, and reparability assessments. Investigate operational issues and recommend solutions aligned with government and company safety/performance standards. Analyze operating data to identify root causes of wear, malfunctions, or premature removals. Review technical documentation including procedures, reports, drawings, manuals, and publications. Own and maintain executing aircraft modification schedules. Coordinate closely with the F‑35 Depot Flow Plan scheduling team, Modifications Manager, Project Managers (PMs), F-35 Mod Agile Cell, CFT Team Leads, and Mod Management Leadership. Serve as the primary mod execution focal point for all mod‑team efforts. Identify and mitigate constraints and risks affecting critical path milestones. Develop, track, and report aircraft status for all contracted modification work. Coordinates inter‑departmental activities across QA, sustainment, engineering, required mod kits/tooling, and logistics. Agile / Project Management Own end‑to‑end project planning includes mod scope, F-35 mod schedules, resource allocation, and risk tracking. Promote Agile/Scrum principles, self‑organization, and continuous improvement. Identify and remove barriers affecting CFT/Depot velocity or delivery timelines. Maintain and refine product backlogs with Change Request (CR) owners and cross‑functional partners. Track and report Agile metrics (velocity, burndown/burnup, cycle time, throughput). Manage project communications for technical and executive audiences. Lead cross‑team dependency management for multi‑team or multi‑quarter initiatives. Conduct post‑incident and post‑project retrospectives and produce lessons‑learned documentation. Travel: Occasional support to MCAS Beaufort, MCAS Cherry Point/FRC-E, or FRC-SE, MCAS Miramar & NAS Lemoore Basic Qualifications Bachelor’s of Science (STEM) + 5 years aircraft maintenance or Depot Level Mod experience or Master’s degree + 3 years aircraft maintenance experience or Depot Level Mod experience Active Government Secret clearance F-35 or 5th generation aircraft maintenance experience Willingness to support other CFT/Depot locations as needed Must be able to successfully complete and pass all required F-35 training courses for employment USAF 7‑Level or DoN CDI equivalent Preferred Qualifications PMP certification Experience scaling Agile across multiple teams Experience managing programs with regulatory, security, or compliance dependencies Experience leading distributed or hybrid teams Background in change management or organizational transformation F‑35 or 5th‑generation aircraft MRO&U experience 5+ years leading multi‑system maintenance teams Proficiency with TCTDs, engineering drawings, and manufacturing/material process specifications Experience with F‑35 sustainment tools (PDM, JDL, ALIS, ServiceFlo, Tableau) Knowledge of change/configuration management and retrofit change boards Experience with governance related to aircraft scheduling, records management, configuration control, MIS, tool/FOD, E‑Time, training, safety, security, hazardous waste, or supply chain management #MPR #ASMT Primary Level Salary Range: $89,900.00 - $134,900.00 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.