Human Resources Director 1
Job Description
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.Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Director of Human Resources to join our HR leadership team supporting the Business Development & Capture Excellence, Program Execution, and Human Resources organizations.
The selected candidate will serve as the Human Resources (HR) Director, based in Baltimore, MD, Falls Church, VA or McLean, VA and will lead a dynamic, cross-functional team providing support to these three functional areas and to the HR organization as a whole. The Director will also function as HR Chief of Staff to the sector HR Vice President and the Mission Systems HR senior leadership team, reporting directly to the Mission Systems Human Resources Vice President and serving as a member of the sector HR senior leadership team.
The Director acts as a strategic partner providing day-to-day support to the Vice President of Business Development & Capture Excellence, Senior Director of Program Execution, and Vice President of Human Resources, as well as their respective leadership teams. This role is responsible for developing and executing a human capital strategy that attracts, engages, develops, and retains the talent needed to achieve current and future strategic objectives, including organizational transformation and evolution. The ideal candidate will be capable of supporting a large, complex aerospace and defense company in an ever-changing landscape and leading others effectively in a matrixed environment.
Leadership responsibilities for this role will include:
Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership – influence to optimize collaboration and ownership of division and sector objectives.
Strategic thought leadership, organizational and project management skills in a high paced environment.
Leverage data and analytics to drive business outcomes.
Make sound decisions with urgency that require evaluation of alternatives. These decisions may be made under conditions of uncertainty.
Interpret, execute, and recommend modifications to processes, policies, and practices.
Strong people leader, manager, collaborator and business partner. Respectful, inclusive, listens to others and enables team success.
In this job, you will:
Lead organization transformation and change management efforts to drive culture and business outcomes in partnership with CoE partners and sr. Division leaders. Create organization design structures and operating models to enable optimal team support, driving the success of the business and maximizing employee performance and engagement.
Aligned to the evolving business demands, understand critical skills & supply/demand needs across the organization to inform talent movement actions.
Develop talent management, succession planning, and talent review strategies / cadence to bolster leadership talent capability and strengthen the talent pipeline.
Identify strategies to drive employee performance, engagement & retention, leveraging total rewards, company mission and values, best-in-class culture, career development and employee flexibility.
Leverage data insights and trends to identify functional business challenges; proactively partnering with/influencing leadership to strategize on business solutions; developing and leading planning, design, implementation, communication, and delivery of high impact HR initiatives across the organization and in partnership with peer HR Business Leaders.
Lead a team of HR professionals by providing guidance, flow-down, coaching and support to optimize their performance and potential.
Collaborate closely with the Sector functional organizations and CoEs to ensure clear communication, clarity and overall alignment for the leaders and HR teams.
HR Chief of Staff responsibilities will include:
Lead the HR operating rhythm (planning cycles, HRLT cadences, Human Capital reviews, and executive materials).
Partner with T&OE to Drive cross-functional initiatives (org design, workforce planning, talent management, culture).
Establish KPIs and analytics dashboards; use insights to guide decisions and improve outcomes.
Manage HR budget planning, headcount, and operational spend optimization.
Strengthen HR processes, policies, and controls; coordinate with key functional partners as applicable.
Oversee HR communications and change management.
Represent HR in enterprise forums.
Prepare and deliver executive updates for Sector President/ELT/CHRO; drive follow-up and accountability.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of progressive experience in HR, People Operations, strategy, or related field – OR – Master’s degree with 8+ years of progressive experience in HR, People Operations, strategy, or related field.
5+ years leading teams and delivering cross-functional programs.
Proven experience developing and executing HR or business strategies at the sector or enterprise level.
Strong program/project management skills and experience with HR operating models.
Executive-level communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills.
Proficiency with HR analytics, KPIs, and dashboarding.
Ability to travel 10–20% between sites.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, MS in HR) and/or SHRM-SCP/SPHR.
Experience as a Chief of Staff, HR Operations leader, or management consultant.
Workday expertise
Experience in large, matrixed organizations and enterprise transformation/change initiatives.
Process improvement (Lean/Six Sigma) and budget ownership experience.