Head of Verification & Validation

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.

Role

To ensure that the V&V Test Team has the right capacity & capability of people, processes and tools to meet anticipated business needs.

Resourcing & Workforce Management

• Develop and maintain workforce plans with the Discipline Lead, Business & Technical leadership, covering resourcing and training & development.  These plans are to plot the team's performance, development and aspirations so that relevant plans can be implemented.
• Proactively recruit to close gaps in workforce plans. Ensuring all programme teams are adequately resourced with suitably qualified and experienced engineers, raising requests for training as required.
• Work proactively with the business to help solve resourcing single point of failures or demand conflicts
• Work with the Talent Scheme Lead to provide support to our early career talent pipelines through identifying mentors and buddies from within the team.

Discipline Management

• Direct line management responsibilities - including (but not limited to) career development, talent management, performance management, resource and leave management.
• Provide leadership by management coaching, mentoring, motivating and training them to ensure their team perform at their best.
• Has responsibility for multiple teams within Verification & Validation. Accountable for the leadership and development of their Line Managers and hold them to account for the development and management of their associated teams.

• Hold regular team meetings to flow down company information and discuss any issues or ideas for improvements.
• Provide career progression in alignment to the relevant Discipline competency framework & expected behaviours and NG Leadership Characteristics.
• Work with the Discipline Leads to deliver a team that meets the discipline vision and strategy through structured training and recruitment
• Hold regular 1-1 meetings with all team staff to provide the opportunity to discuss career opportunities, vent any worries or concerns they have, whether professionally or personally.
• Be accountable for engagement activities for all the teams within role scope, working with key stakeholders on wider focus activities within NSS.
• Conduct regular continuous improvement team discussion to improve efficiency.
• Ensure all staff have goals set at the start of the year and results completed by the end of the year.
• Ensure, by liaising with the PMs that the teams’ workload is suitable balanced, provide support to individuals if they are overloaded or a single point of failure for the team.
• Work with the PMs to ensure utilisation targets are maintained.

Programme Performance

• Responsible for ensuring the team is performing as required across all programmes.

Competency/Skill requirements – Essential

• Must be a confident people manager with demonstrable experience, previous people management experience is essential.
• Experience and background full understanding of systems engineering and delivering complex (safety) projects through the V model.
• Understanding of environmental qualification and test methods from Def Stan 00-35
• The understanding and experience of using Agile techniques.
• Good understanding of software test tools and script languages (e.g. Python).
• Experience to automated Test Benches
• Experience in text and calculation programs
• Rigorous, well organised, team worker, good interpersonal abilities.
• Confident communicator, both written and verbal.
• Highly organised, self-managing, able to manage multiple activities at any one time. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to engage effectively with all audiences/stakeholders at all levels in the organisation.

Northrop Grumman is committed to equality and diversity in our workplace. Northrop Grumman provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to an individual's protected status, including race/ethnic origin, color, nationality, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, gender identity/expression, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, religion or belief, creed, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status or characteristic.