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 &