Sr Principal Contract Administrator

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: None TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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.   Northrop Grumman Weapon Systems Division, Armament Systems Business Unit (BU) is seeking an experienced and dynamic individual to join its team as a Senior Principal Contract Administrator located on-site in Mesa, AZ. This position requires excellent oral and written communication skills and regular interaction with various levels of executive management to include various functional organizations throughout the OU, BU, Division, and Sector levels.   In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for producing high-quality Contract Management related products supporting the Weapon Systems Division, Armament Systems Business Unit (BU) programs. This position requires a comprehensive understanding of DoD contracting, exceptional written and verbal communication skills, advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365, and outstanding interpersonal and organizational capabilities. The successful candidate will be a highly collaborative team member as well as a trusted, self-directed senior contributor, demonstrating strong leadership, mature business acumen, and unwavering professionalism. They will bring a proven track record of sound judgment, rigorous work ethic, and sophisticated problem-solving skills, applied with precision and a consistently detail-oriented approach in a complex contracts environment. Essential Functions: Provides expert interpretation of DoD regulations and complex commercial terms, leading negotiation of U.S. Government, commercial, and international contracts and agreements. Serves as a senior contracts advisor on competitive and sole-source RFPs, NDAs, and Teaming Agreements, applying ITAR and export knowledge to ensure compliant, competitive structures. Ensures rigorous compliance with company procedures, legal requirements, and customer specifications, identifying contractual and business risks and recommending mitigation strategies. Independently resolves complex contractual and business issues by seeking, synthesizing, and applying information from diverse sources to deliver practical, business-focused solutions. Proactively engages with program, technical, and operations leadership to provide contracts guidance, ensuring contract requirements, obligations, and risks are clearly communicated and managed. Exercises sound judgment in timely decision-making; provides clear guidance across technical, program, finance, supply chain, legal, export, and security stakeholders to drive alignment and issue resolution. Leads proposal preparation, complex contract negotiations, contract administration, and customer interactions to ensure successful contract acquisition and performance in accordance with all requirements. Reviews and validates cost estimates, contract performance requirements, and delivery schedules with a meticulous, detail-oriented approach to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with contractual commitments. Processes specifications and progress reports; advises management on contractual rights, obligations, and risk; analyzes contract data;