Director 1 Manufacturing Planning

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

TRAVEL: Yes, 50% 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 Director 1 Manufacturing Planning leads the strategic planning, scheduling, and execution of all manufacturing activities to ensure optimal production throughput, cost efficiency, and on-time delivery. Reporting to the Vice President of Operations (or equivalent), the director sets the vision for integrated planning processes, drives continuous improvement, and partners with supply-chain, engineering, quality, and finance teams to align production capacity with business demand. This position may be located in Huntsville, AL; Roy, UT; Linthicum, MD; or McLean, VA.

Sector QM&I Director, Manufacturing Planning responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain long-term (1-5 year) production capacity plans aligned with corporate growth objectives.
• Lead demand-driven forecasting initiatives, integrating sales outlook, market trends, and product-lifecycle considerations.
• Evaluate and recommend capital-investment projects (equipment, facilities, automation) to close capacity gaps.

Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) & Production Control

• Own the Integrated Master Schedule that consolidates demand, supply, capacity, and material availability across all sites and product families.
• Ensure the IMS is refreshed on a regular cadence (daily/weekly) and communicated to all functional stakeholders.
• Direct Production Control activities, including real-time monitoring of shop-floor execution, deviation management, and corrective-action coordination.
• Implement and maintain robust control boards (e.g., KPI dashboards, exception reports) to provide visibility into schedule adherence, bottlenecks, and inventory levels.

Sales-Inventory-Operations Planning (SIOP)

• Chair the SIOP process, aligning sales forecasts, inventory policies, and operational capabilities into a single, executable plan.
• Facilitate cross-functional SIOP meetings, drive consensus on demand-supply balancing, and secure senior-leadership approval of the final plan.
• Track SIOP performance metrics (forecast accuracy, plan reliability, inventory turns) and lead continuous-improvement initiatives to enhance plan quality.

Production Scheduling & Execution

• Oversee the creation of Master Production Schedules (MPS) and detailed shop-floor schedules, ensuring feasibility across all work centers.
• Deploy Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) tools to balance workload, minimize changeovers, and meet delivery commitments.
• Resolve bottlenecks and priority conflicts through real-time data analysis and cross-functional coordination.

Inventory & Material Management

• Define optimal inventory targets (raw material, WIP, finished goods) using inventory-optimization models.
• Collaborate with procurement and logistics to secure timely material supply while minimizing excess stock.

Continuous Improvement & Lean Initiatives

• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints (TOC) methodologies to improve plan reliability and reduce lead times.
• Lead regular performance reviews (e.g., OEE, schedule adherence, forecast accuracy) and drive corrective-action plans.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, coach, and mentor a high-performing planning organization (planners, schedulers, analysts).
• Establish clear KPIs, career-development paths, and succession plans for the team.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with product development to incorporate new-product introductions (NPIs) into the IMS and SIOP.
• Work closely with finance on cost-to-serve analysis, budgeting, and profitability assessments.
• Serve as a key liaison with customers on delivery commitments and exception handling.

The successful candidate will possess the following competencies and skills:

• Demonstrated ability to lead large, matrixed teams and influence senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to convey complex planning concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong quantitative skills; comfortable with statistical forecasting, simulation modeling, and scenario analysis.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 10 plus years of relevant experience OR Master's degree with 8 plus years of relevant experience
• 10 plus years progressive experience in manufacturing operations.
• At least 5 years in a senior planning or scheduling leadership role.
• ERP expertise (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics).
• Experience working with data-analytics tools (SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau).
• Experience working with Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) systems (e.g., SAP APO, Kinaxis RapidResponse, Oracle Demantra).
• Proven application of Lean, Six Sigma, and TOC principles.
• Certified Lean Practitioner
• Proven ability to build and maintain high performing teams.
• Proven ability to take ownership and be accountable with an "owners" mindset.
• Strong interpersonal skills, an exceptional self-starter attitude, and the ability to produce in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Strong business/financial acumen, keen organizational skills, and excellent problem-solving ability.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance up to Top Secret

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain or a related field.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent.
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume or make-to-order environments.
• Knowledge of Industry 4.0 technologies (IoT, digital twins) as they apply to production planning.
• Active Top Secret Clearance

Primary Level Salary Range: $160,200.00 - $278,200.00

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.