•executive excellence•

Education:  Master’s in Business Administration, Arizona State University; Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico)

In a distinguished career of more than 30 years, Francisco Flores has significantly impacted the aviation industry and helped enhance the country's global security.  Leading an organization providing production engineering products and services to a diverse and complex program portfolio, Francisco inspires STEM outreach nationally and is also a champion of advancing his fellow Hispanic and Latinx employees and youth internationally.

Among the seven Hispanic VPs of Northrop Grumman’s  100,000-strong workforce, only Francisco leads a production engineering organization within the company, underscoring his technical ingenuity, innovation and leadership.  An expert in advanced manufacturing, he garners experience from the automotive industry, military electronics manufacturing and more than a decade in advanced aviation.

As VP of 2000-strong Production Engineering & Operations within the Northrop Grumman’s Operations organization, Francisco's team is responsible for all manufacturing across the entire company portfolio.  His team designs all production lines, tooling, manufacturing equipment and automation for all the company’s aircraft programs, including developing future manufacturing techniques and technologies that leverage augmented reality, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and advanced materials.

Francisco’s end-to-end domain knowledge ensures engineering rigor is applied to the most advanced aircraft systems in the world, from manufacturing and industrial engineering to tooling and automation and advanced manufacturing. 

The complex and geographically diverse portfolio requires Francisco to deliver high-quality engineering products and services, maintain and develop a diverse engineering workforce and actively engage to resolve production engineering challenges.

Francisco's organization supports a broad portfolio, including the RO-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4C Triton unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft systems for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and international customers; the E-2O Advanced Hawkeye (manned airborne command and control center); the 8-2 Stealth Bomber (manned long-range bomber capable of penetrating sophisticated enemy defenses); the 8-21 Raider (next-generation stealth bomber with long-range and mission payload flexibility); and other classified programs. His portfolio includes a subsidiary manufacturing commercial aircraft and aviation parts to other defense aircraft providers.

Since joining Northrop Grumman, Francisco has improved rigor and efficiency across several key programs such as the F-35 Lightning II program, the world's most advanced fifth-generation fighter known for its low-observable, supersonic, stealth and multi-role capabilities. 

 Another significant accomplishment includes the unveiling, rollout, on-time delivery and first flight of the B-21 Raider stealth aircraft, the world's first sixth-generation aircraft.  Francisco's team has been at the center of this digitally engineered system with an open systems architecture that permits rapid upgrading and technology insertion, a capability that will help ensure our national security for decades to come.

Francisco also serves as executive leader for the company's One Adelante Hispanic/Latinx Employee Resource Group. He is the executive sponsor for the Promoting Hispanics in Leadership initiative established to increase the representation of Hispanic employees in the first- to mid-level managers ranks and the executive/senior official levels. 

Initiated as a call-to-action by the company's CEO Kathy Warden, this group focuses on advocacy for mid to senior employees, better integration of educational opportunities, mid-career recruitment and support for Hispanic/Latina women to increase the talent pipeline. 

Outside of Northrop Grumman, Francisco serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of San Diego's College of Industrial Engineering and Systems Engineering, an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, and is also on the Board of Industry Advisors for California Polytechnic Pomona.

In partnership with the consulate general of Mexico and Tee de Monterrey's alumni association, he raises awareness aimed at promoting education, health, economic and social integration within the Hispanic community and helps mentor STEM talent in the local community and abroad. His family also supports an orphanage in his hometown in his native Mexico.