Senior Principal SC Subcontract Specialist

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. Are you interested in expanding your career through experience and exposure, all while supporting a mission that seeks to ensure the security of our nation and its allies? If so, then Northrop Grumman Space Sector is the place for you. With us, you’ll discover a culture of curiosity and collaboration that will have you Defining Possible from the day you start. The Launch and Missile Defense System unit is seeking an outstanding Senior Principal Supply Chain Subcontract Specialist. This position is located in the Global Supply Chain function of Northrop Grumman’s Launch Vehicles business unit, which is a part of Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector and Launch & Missile Defense Systems Division. The successful candidate for this position will engage in a crucial and highly regulated business process taking place at the intersection between some of the coolest emerging technologies in the world and some of the most profound missions in our country. Team Location: Chandler, AZ Work Arrangements: This role is full time in-office at 1575 S. Price Rd, Chandler AZ. Schedule: 9/80 work schedule – with every other Friday OFF! What is a Subcontract Specialist generally? A Subcontract Specialist role at Northrop Grumman is similar to roles at other defense/aerospace companies with the job title Subcontract Manager, Subcontract Administrator, Buyer, or Procurement Agent. The Subcontract Specialists work in commodity groups to procure specialized goods and services ranging from commercial or commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware to build-to print / drawing / specification material, to complex assemblies and systems developed from a Supplier Statement of Work (SSOW). Some of the essential functions shared by all Subcontract Specialists include: Pre-Solicitation: Responsible for evaluating purchase requisitions (program/project requirements) for compliance to policies and procedures; responsible for creating a sourcing strategy in consultation with program stakeholders to ensure maximum competition, best value to the government/customer, and selection of responsible and qualified suppliers. Develops and maintains a strong knowledge of the Subcontract Specialist’s assigned commodity, keeping abreast of the companies which make up the supply base in that commodity, the capabilities of those suppliers, the solutions those suppliers offer, and the ability of those suppliers to meet Northrop Grumman’s quality requirements, mission assurance requirements, contract flowdowns, and terms and conditions. Supports prime proposal activity through Requests for Information (RFI) and other solicitations. Solicitation: Crafts and issues Requests for Quote (RFQ) and Requests for Proposal (RFP), ensuring all required elements and flowdowns are contained and that all pre-solicitation requirements have been met. Ensures that the requesting program and subcontractor are aligned with regard to the requirements contained in the solicitation, and ensures that any questions or clarifications with regard to technical documents are fully vetted. In the case of fair and open competition, ensures correct supplier selection and a level playing field for all competitors. Works with suppliers throughout the solicitation period to ensure bids will be received on time and complete from enough suppliers for a valid competition and that questions are answered in a timely manner. Quote/Proposal Evaluation: Vets quotes/proposals received to ensure adequacy based on the requirements contained in the solicitation. Thoroughly identifies and fully addresses all clarifications, ground rules, assumptions, and exceptions contained in the quote/proposal. Analyzes the proposed price to identify fair and reasonable pricing. Crafts a negotiation strategy in cooperation with program stakeholders, identifying tactics and opportunities for reducing cost, improving efficiency, and managing risk related to the anticipated award. In the case of competition, leads a multi-functional down-select process to ensure that a winner is selected fairly and in accordance with the competitive criteria established in the solicitation. Analyzes the bids holistically against program schedule, budget, and historical prices paid to ensure affordability, and support of aggressive schedules. Award: Leads negotiations on behalf of Northrop Grumman, ensuring that the final agreed price, schedule, technical, and quality requirements, and terms and conditions represent the best value both for the customer/government and for Northrop Grumman. Creates a compliant Purchase Order in the Launch Vehicles system of record, Costpoint. Assembles all documentation required by law and by company policies & procedures in a compliance file. Promptly addresses any findings on the file issued by compliance officers. Issues award to the winning supplier. Ensures prompt acknowledgement and signature by the subcontractor. Post-Award: Administers Purchase Order / Subcontract, ensuring that subcontractor performs in accordance with the order, including cost, schedule, technical and quality requirements, and the terms and conditions of the contract. Performs root cause corrective action (RCCA) when supplier performance is not up to expectations, escalating to leadership both at Northrop Grumman and at the subcontractor as needed in order to successfully mitigate. Assesses ongoing supplier performance, health, and responsibility. Aggressively engages to resolve post-award issues affecting Northrop Grumman factory readiness, program milestones and schedule, and urgent facility/installation needs. Manages Purchase Order / Subcontract close-out through completion. Beyond Awards: Cultivates and maintains strong working relationships with suppliers, customers, and internal stakeholders. Utilizes process tools such as Lean Six Sigma with suppliers to drive quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement, and internally to contribute to Northrop Grumman process improvement efforts. Takes a selfless team-based approach in helping colleagues through difficult tasks, training and being trained by other members of the team to ensure a broad-based and portable skillset, and by modeling the kindness and positivity that gives Launch Vehicles Global Supply Chain its strong people-first culture. The amount of complexity in the work scope our Subcontract Specialists are assigned depends on their level / grade and on the commodity team that they are assigned to. Although our Subcontract Specialists support commercially or company funded procurements on some of our desks and teams, most of the things we buy are funded by U.S. Government agency contracts, such as Department of Defense (DoD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This funding comes with many contractual requirements, such as the requirement that our awards are issued in compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) along with various agency FAR Supplements, such as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS) and the NASA Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (NFARS). There are also many public law requirements and company policies and procedures our Subcontract Specialists must ensure compliance with. Therefore, our subcontracts process involves many steps and complexities. Your required qualifications to handle these steps and complexities will vary depending on the level / grade of the position you are hired for. What is the level / grade of this position, what does the level / grade mean, and what are the basic and preferred qualifications for the role? You are applying to be an A04 Senior Principal Supply Chain Subcontract Specialist. This is a supply chain position for very highly qualified subcontract managers with extensive demonstrated experience managing ordering activities in a high compliance FAR/DFARS environment. The successful applicants for this position usually have management-level knowledge of FAR/DFARS subcontracting, a willingness and ability to teach others these topics, the ability to competently peer review FAR/DFARS procurement compliance packages, the ability to operate successfully with relatively little supervision or escalation, and the willingness and ability to both initiate and successfully participate in effective process or supply base improvement projects, and the willingness and ability to work shoulder to shoulder with supervisory managers and senior managers to tackle the biggest challenges facing the department. Basic Qualifications: A Bachelor’s Degree combined with at least 8+ years of experience, preferably with this experience predominantly in a buyer role operating under FAR/DFARS compliance requirements. Alternately, a Master’s Degree combined with at least 6+ years of experience, preferably with this experience predominantly in a buyer role operating under FAR/DFARS compliance requirements. Without a Bachelor’s Degree OR Master’s Degree, at least 12+ years of experience, preferably with this experience predominantly in a buyer role operating under FAR/DFARS compliance requirements. Demonstrated experience and proficiency placing FAR/DFARS compliant orders over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold. Demonstrated experience and proficiency obtaining and evaluating Small Business Subcontracting Plans. Demonstrated experience and proficiency evaluating proposals and placing FAR/DFARS orders compliant to Truthful Cost and Pricing Data and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Experience with flexibly priced subcontracts. The ability to understand and evaluate the trade-offs between Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Time & Materials (T&M), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF), and Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF), and to compliantly execute each subcontract type. Experience with undefinitized contracting vehicles, such as Letter Subcontracts (LSC), Undefinitized Change Orders (UCO), Authorization to Proceed (ATP), and Pre-Contract Cost Authorizations (PCCA). Demonstrated experience with contract change management. Be prepared to discuss the strategies you used to contain cost and schedule in an environment with frequent engineering change orders. Risk mitigation experience and experience successfully implementing root cause corrective action (RCCA). Demonstrated experience negotiating complex or high-risk corporate terms and conditions. Experience training others and mentoring others and a desire to perform those functions at Northrop Grumman. Experience leading a cross-functional team to develop a complex business negotiation strategy. Please be prepared to discuss the price analysis techniques used to arrive at such strategies, the negotiation methodologies leveraged, and the results obtained. Experience conducting oral presentations to executive leadership. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with Costpoint is a major advantage. Experience with other Enterprise Requirement Planning (ERP) software is desirable. Possession of a Certified Federal Contract Manager (CFCM) certification or a Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM) certification from National Contract Management Association Certification (NCMA), and demonstrated understanding of the body of knowledge, is a major advantage. Demonstrated experience with change management in a developmental subcontracting environment. Knowledge of Earned Value Management System (EVMS). Although not required for this position, possession of or ability to obtain a DoD Secret Security Clearance is desirable. A deep knowledge of business law. Though not required, former experience as a working lead or supervisory manager, and demonstrated proficiency with the tools needed to successfully serve in either role, is a major advantage. Be prepared to discuss these experiences in detail and to share whether you would be willing in the future to serve in these roles at Northrop Grumman on an emergency basis, interim basis, periodic basis, or permanent basis. Please also be prepared to discuss your leadership style.