Advanced Programs - Principal Test Engineer - 18314

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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 Defense Systems is seeking a Principal Test Engineer. This position is located in Huntsville, AL and supports the AP portfolio. The ideal candidate is a team player; but also, a strong independent contributor with strong leadership skills, demonstrated problem-solving skills, excellent communication skills, as well as interpersonal and organizational skills and a proactive, detail-oriented approach.

• Set a Vision: Develop and communicate a clear vision for shaping, growing, and enabling the Launch Silo IPT to meet and exceed its obligations.
• Build a High Performing Team: Partner with Functional leadership to build, maintain, and implement mentoring, succession, and development plans.  Develop and execute staffing plans that achieve financial and programmatic strategic goals.
• Take Ownership: Drive execution across a diverse, multidisciplinary team, meeting cost, schedule, and technical performance metrics.  Communicate progress, challenges, and plans with clarity and conciseness.
• Lead with Courage: Instill a culture of empowerment and accountability that enables the team to efficiently meet or exceed obligations. Build strong partnering relationships with customers, industry partners, and internal organizations and proliferate this partnership across the Launch Silo IPT.
• Respond to Challenges with Resilience: Perform proactive risk and opportunity management.  Leverage strong partnerships to navigate setbacks and implement recovery plans that maintain forward momentum. 
• Act with Speed: Leverage leaders within the Launch Silo IPT to make timely and credible decisions while performing advocacy across a broad stakeholder community to ensure buy-in and mitigate delays. Implement process improvements and strategic initiatives where necessary to maintain and increase execution velocity.

Primary responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

• Translate customer contractual requirements into comprehensive test solutions while balancing schedule and cost constraints
• Develop, lead, and execute integrated test plans, procedures, and schedules for subsystem and system-level testing
• Coordinate integrated testing activities across internal teams and external suppliers
• Contribute to the program Integrated Test Plan (ITP) and ensure test requirement completeness and traceability
• Perform technical analysis of system performance and produce system-level evaluation reports
• Review supplier test efforts, including verification and validation of delivered components and test data review
• Design and implement proof-of-concept test methods to mitigate early program risks
• Manage test data acquisition, analysis, and documentation to drive design improvements
• Serve as a technical liaison with customers, contractors, and senior stakeholders on test matters
• Ensure compliance with safety, security, and export-control requirements throughout testing

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 5 years of relevant experience, OR a Masters degree and 3 years of relevant experience, OR a PhD and 1 years of relevant experience
• Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance, at time of application, current and within scope, with an investigation date within the last 6 years
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs
• Minimum 3 years demonstrated experience developing integrated test plans and procedures for complex defense systems
• Minimum 3 years experience planning and executing HW testing, with solid understanding of requirements traceability and systems-engineering processes (e.g., DOORS)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance
• Proven experience developing an Integrated Test Plan (ITP) for a major acquisition program
• Experience drafting and managing supplier Statements of Work (SOW) for test activities
• Knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) concepts and hands-on experience with CAMEO tools
• Prior involvement in Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition programs, particularly in strategic deterrence or missile systems

Position Benefits

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

• 401k

• Educational Assistance

• Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

• Paid Time Off

• Health & Wellness Resources

• Employee Discounts

This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.