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Composites Manufacturing Engineer - Level 2 or 3

Northrop Grumman

Listing collected from Northrop Grumman's career site. NextChapter is independent of Northrop Grumman.

San Diego, CA · Posted October 20, 2026

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About the job

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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.

The Mission Enabling Products organization within the Northrop Grumman Space Systems pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission.

The Mission Enabling Products (MEP) organization is seeking a Composites Manufacturing Engineer - Level 2 or 3 to assist an experienced team of engineers to perform manufacturing and design engineering on one or more spacecraft systems or subsystems.

This position is located in San Diego, CA .

Responsibilities:

Plans, directs, and coordinates manufacturing processes on factory (manufacturing) floor

Develops, evaluates, and improves manufacturing methods, utilizing knowledge of spacecraft design, composite materials, composite fabrication and processes, tooling and production equipment capabilities, composite assembly methods, and quality control standards.

Designs manufacturing workflow, layout of equipment and workspace for maximum efficiency.

Authors detailed manufacturing work instructions that define the specific processes to manufacture hardware.

Creates complete and accurate bill of materials (BOM) for manufactured hardware

Communicates with design staff regarding product design and tooling to ensure efficient production methods.

Creates purchase requests and partners with vendors to determine product specifications of equipment, materials, or parts, and evaluates products according to specifications and quality standards.

Support proposal effort by estimating production times and related costs to provide information for management decisions.

Effectively communicates with management, engineering, and other staff regarding manufacturing capabilities, and other considerations to facilitate and improve production processes.

Applies statistical methods to estimate future manufacturing requirements and potential improvements.

Basic Qualifications for Level 2:

Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering and 2+ years of experience as a Manufacturing Engineer, Master’s Degree and 0+ years of experience.

Experience must include lay-up, machining, assembly and inspection of composite flight materials and hardware.

Ability to read, interpret and create engineering drawings with proper application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

Effective communication within teams, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership skills.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15).

Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret and Top-Secret CSI clearance

Basic Qualifications for Level 3:

Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering and 5+ years of experience, Master’s Degree and 3+ years of experience.

Experience must include lay-up, machining, assembly and inspection of composite flight materials and hardware.

Ability to read, interpret and create engineering drawings with proper application of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

Effective communication within teams, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership skills.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.15).

Must have the ability to obtain a DoD Secret and Top-Secret CSI clearance

Preferred Qualifications :

Capable of representing an organization as a technical contact and interact with program teams and leadership as the technical expert for the manufacturing process.

Knowledge and application of continuous improvement philosophy, methodology, and tools.

Technical problem solving skills, including formal root cause and corrective action identification and implementation.

Strong organizational and time management skills to successfully engage in multiple programs simultaneously.

Proficient in MS Office – (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project)

Prefer CAD experience (NX-10/Team-center or other CAD experience).

Primary Level Salary Range: $83,400.00 - $125,200.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

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.