Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems sector is looking for a F-35 Chief Engineer of Product Support & Sustainment. This leadership role is located in El Segundo, California with expected travel (25%) to Palmdale, Fort Worth TX, and various customer locations (Eglin, Hill, Nellis AFBs and Lemoore Naval Station). This position will report directly to the F-35 Chief Engineer Sr. Director and will be a critical member of the Chief Engineering Office for the program.
Northrop Grumman supports the F35 Joint Program Office in sustainment, development, production, deployment, and modifications for the F-35 platform for three branches of the DoD and various Foreign Military (FMS) customers.
A successful candidate will have demonstrated knowledge and experience developing and managing the technical baseline associated with sustainment and product support of aircraft systems including Support Equipment development, Depot & Operational Level Task Order development, Fleet Repair Modification, Reliability, Maintainability, Provisioning (Sparing), Testability / Flight Test Operations, and Technician Training development. A strong knowledge in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, mission computing, and communications engineering concepts is also required. In addition, leadership and communication skills are essential to help drive issues to closure and provide clear insight to executive leadership.
Primary Job Responsibilities (but not limited to):
Responsibility / technical authority for the F-35 Product Support & Sustainment Statement of Work
Maintains technical baseline and oversees technical activities within the Program Sustainment IPT
Ensure work is being executed to sound Sector, Division & Program Engineering Processes & Tools
Ensure products are meeting customer requirements and quality expectations within given timelines and affordability targets.
Responsible for configuration management and managing change through a program Class I / II change process.
Overseeing preparation, review, approval, and execution of affordable engineering and/or logistics engineering change proposals (ECPs) (LECPs)
Executing a robust system engineering approach and maximizing reuse across other Air programs support systems to optimize affordability
Basic Qualifications:
Must have a Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline and 14 years of relevant experience, OR a Master’s degree in STEM and 12 years of relevant experience, OR a Ph.D. in STEM and 9 years of relevant experience.
Must have 4 years of previous technical or programmatic management experience
Must have demonstrated basic concept knowledge & experience of aircraft systems including air vehicle, mission computing, communications, and sensors as well as Sustainment disciplines
Must have familiarity with leading technical proposals and the ability to lead the customer through reviews of technical performance.
Must have ability to obtain DoD Secret (or higher) clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
Previous Experience on the F-35 Program Sustaining or Air Vehicle Teams
Previous experience leading Post Production, Product Support activities for a Military Aircraft Platform
Understanding of Design Engineering/Computer-aided Design (CAD) and engineering releases processes utilizing Product Lifecycle Management tools
Prior experience interfacing with prime contractor site leads and field service representatives.
Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all requirements as either project lead, integrated program team or cost account manager
Strong oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated experience with high value customer presentations, with ability to focus on multiple projects with competing priorities
Ability to collaborate and achieve consensus when dealing with groups from diverse organizations and backgrounds
Knowledge of ITAR, International Licensing Requirements and procedures
Active DoD Secret Clearance with recent investigation (within 6 years)
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in STEM and 14 years relevant experience OR Master's in STEM and 12 years OR Ph.D. in STEM and 9 years
- Minimum 4 years previous technical or programmatic management experience
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience of aircraft systems including air vehicle, mission computing, communications, sensors, and sustainment disciplines
- Familiarity with leading technical proposals and ability to lead customer technical performance reviews
- Responsibility for configuration management and managing change through Class I/II change process
- Ability to obtain DoD Secret (or higher) clearance
- Previous experience on the F-35 Program Sustaining or Air Vehicle Teams
- Previous experience leading post-production product support activities for a military aircraft platform
- Understanding of Design Engineering/Computer-aided Design (CAD) and engineering release processes utilizing Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools
- Prior experience interfacing with prime contractor site leads and field service representatives
- Experience leading tasks on schedule, at cost, and achieving requirements as project lead, IPT lead, or cost account manager
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including experience with high-value customer presentations
- Ability to collaborate and achieve consensus across diverse organizations
- Knowledge of ITAR and international licensing requirements and procedures
- Active DoD Secret clearance with recent investigation (within 6 years)
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Retirement Support — 401(k) matching is considered strong, with additional defined-benefit coverage for certain cohorts and options like catch-up contributions. Retirement programs are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO, company-paid holidays, and compressed work schedules (such as 9/80) provide meaningful time away and flexibility. These scheduling options are cited as a major quality-of-life benefit across many locations.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave alongside caregiver leave, adoption assistance, and back-up care supports a range of family needs. These programs have been expanded recently, signaling continued investment in family support.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.







