Engineering Integration & Execution (EI&E) Director 1 –Test & Evaluation

The Aeronautics Engineering organization is seeking an Engineering Integration & Execution (EI&E) Director 1 –Test & Evaluation (B-2 & F/A-18) Leader to oversee engineering execution within B-2 & F/A-18. Leading a team of engineers and technical professionals, the EI&E Leader will shape the vision for engineering execution across their disciplines. This key leadership role reports to the Chief Engineer and is based out of Palmdale, CA.

This position will partner closely with Chief Engineers, Program Managers, and Center of Technical Excellence (CoTE) to deliver technical, cost, and schedule commitments through effective alignment of staffing, execution processes, and disciplined use of engineering tools. The EI&E Leader forecasts staffing needs on a rolling 12-month cycle, ensures staffing requirements are entered into POST, and ensures talent is deployed, transitioned, and onboarded in sync with program demand. While the EI&E Leaders primary responsibility is meeting the talent needs of their assigned program, this position must also maintain visibility across the division and sector to enable proactive redeployment and optimize overall workforce utilization—ensuring programs remain cost-effective and aligned with affordability goals.

An ideal EI&E Leader thrives at the intersection of technical program execution and people leadership. They are proactive, adaptable, and skilled at translating program needs into actionable workforce solutions. This leader will balance strategic workforce planning with hands-on leadership, ensuring both program delivery and employee growth. They are collaborative by nature, building trust across stakeholders, and act as champions of unified processes and cross-program integration. This leader will also be responsible for establishing the vision and strategy for their respective discipline and collaborating broadly up and across AS engineering leadership in pursuit of collective business objectives.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Provide people and discipline leadership across assigned program(s), ensuring engineering execution aligns with program requirements, customer expectations, and affordability targets.

• Identify the tools and processes necessary to effectively execute program technical requirements.  Coordinate with the Center of Technical Excellence to develop or continuously enhance existing tools and process to support program execution.

• Partner with program managers to collect meaningful metrics and collaborate to use those metrics to improve processes and tools that will result in improved affordability and quality.

• Manage program-specific labs, facility assets, and capital equipment associated with the discipline(s), including capital planning, procurement, and ongoing maintenance.

• Participate in and support technical reviews (e.g., Integrated Baseline Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, proposal review and signoff) to assess technical maturity, manage risks, and ensure alignment with program objectives.

• Support engineering planning, including detailed estimates of work, Estimate at Completion (EAC) reviews and implementation of rolling wave planning to progressively elaborate work scope and schedules as program maturity and data availability increase.

• Identify program opportunities and risks, develop mitigation plans, and address performance shortfalls through root-cause analysis, corrective actions, long-term verification of improvement. Share lessons learned across the engineering organization.

• Partner with the discipline's Center of Technical Excellence and SI&O to identify and maintain critical skills, define and prioritize training needs, close capability gaps, and develop current talent and future pipelines.

• Translate program execution requirements into accurate staffing forecasts to meet program milestones, schedule, and technical performance while maintaining cost-effectiveness and direct labor rate constraints.

• Maintain a forward-looking, rolling 12-month staffing forecast by program, discipline, and grade level in the POST system.

• Facilitate deliberate internal talent movement across supported programs and sector to optimize workforce utilization, balance affordability, enhance employee development, and strengthen succession pipelines.

• Serve as single point of contact with HR/Talent Acquisition for hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning for respective discipline(s) and assigned programs.

• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment that drive employee engagement, supports career growth, and strengths retention across the organization.

• Foster a culture of continuous learning, mentoring, and knowledge sharing across the Engineering function.

• Oversee the annual merit and bonus allocation process for the technical staff in designated programs, ensuring consistency with sector schedule and guidelines.

• Evaluate off-cycle salary adjustments to reward performance and retain top talent, being mindful of affordability and budget constraints, and assessing the estimate at completion (EAC) to inform decision-making.

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:

• Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and 9 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master’s Degree in a (STEM) discipline and 7 years of related professional/military experience.

• Must have an active Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation) with ability to obtain program access.

• Must be able to attain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.

• Ability to travel as needed (approx. 25%).

• Demonstrated experience leading large engineering teams in a program execution environment.

• Ground testing including static testing, fatigue testing, ground resonance testing, ground vibration testing and live fire testing.

• Flight testing including performance, flutter, flying qualities, loads, and mission systems (sensors, mission processing, communication systems) for development and operational test. Experience and familiarity with airborne instrumentation systems, telemetry and control rooms.

• Laboratory testing including Integrated Functional Capability (combined flight hardware and lab testing) in System Integration Labs/Level 3 testing, cyber testing, wind tunnel testing, structural load and fatigue testing.

• Production testing in a DCMA 8210.D program to include conduct of acceptance test procedures, initial engine run testing, functional check flight testing and customer delivery.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or MBA degree.

• Active DOD Top Secret/SCI clearance with current program access.

• Strong workforce planning, resource management, and organizational skills.

• Formal program management experience or training and comprehensive understanding and application of BOEs, Earned Value Management and Integrated Master Schedule principles.

• Experience successfully planning, prioritizing and executing technology development or process improvement projects such as leadership of NCTA initiatives from conception through delivery and support.

• Experience identifying, developing and managing performance metrics to support program and technical execution monitoring & control. Experience initiating risk and opportunity development based upon technical team performance. 

• Test Pilot School Graduate (Pilot or Engineer) as recognized in DCMA 8210.D.

• Experience in coordinating with customer counterparts to negotiate ground and flight test plans, obtain interim flight clearances, develop FOL/GOL, and return-to-flight criteria.

• Military or commercial flight line experience. Leadership/management experience leading a mixed salaried and touch labor workforce.