Discover Northrop Grumman : Integrated Systems : Profiles

Marisa
Manufacturing Engineering Associate

What college/university did you attend? What was your major and when did you graduate?
I attended UCLA and received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, class of 2004.

Why did you accept the position at Northrop Grumman?
I interned at Northrop the summer before my senior year, and found this place to be a good fit for me. One aspect I liked in particular was the fact that we deal with an assembly line, so it is a great learning experience to be able to see, hands on, the product that we are working on. It’s rewarding because the people here take a great deal of pride and ownership in the planes that we all work hard to help produce. More importantly, however, I really liked and had a great deal of respect for the people I worked with. I feel that your peers and managers contribute a great deal to your happiness and success on a job. I can genuinely say I enjoy my work and look forward to seeing the people I work with day in and day out.

What does Northrop Grumman offer that competitors don't?
We have a great work environment, as well as an excellent location. Northrop is very diversified, with a variety of product lines and business areas, which offers a number of opportunities for lateral movement within the company.

Did you participate in an internship, mentoring program or new hire orientation? If so, what was the experience like for you?
Besides my internship, I am currently in a Manufacturing Engineering Associate (MEA) program, which introduces us to many areas and different programs, and helps us to develop a broader understanding of the M.E. functions, processes and responsibilities. We rotate through several areas of manufacturing including assembly, composites, mechanical process engineering, tool design, and quality assurance, as well as different programs such as the F/A-18, F-35, and JUCAS. I’ve enjoyed this rotation program because the exposure to a variety of programs and people has helped me to learn the technical aspect of the job and the company culture. It has given me a good understanding of how each group functions, and has provided a strong network of coworkers that I can rely on as mentors, advisors and friends.

Tell us a little about what you do (i.e. what projects you work on, etc.).
I work as a Manufacturing Engineering Associate on the F/A-18 assembly line. Our responsibilities include planning, tooling and liaison activities. We are also involved in problem-solving, cost reduction initiatives, and design improvements. I am currently working in the final assembly, subsystems area, and deal primarily with the fuel tanks. It’s exciting for me to be able to oversee the manufacturing process. and I enjoy working closely with manufacturing out on the F/A-18 shop floor. I’ve found it to be a great learning experience and opportunity to work on leading-edge technology.