At Northrop Grumman, our employees continue to push the boundaries of possible across space (SP) sector. Join a culture where your expertise and innovation are valued as you lead complex engineering initiatives facing some of the world’s most challenging problems. We foster purposeful work and growth, empowering our employees to reach their highest potential every day by Defining Possible.
This Senior Principal Electromechanical Engineering position is an advanced leadership role located in Rolling Meadows, IL. The focus is on providing technical innovation, strategic direction, and hands-on expertise in electronic packaging and payload systems design. The successful candidate will spearhead engineering efforts involving circuit card assembly packaging, payload electronics, and integration across multiple programs. This role reports to the SP Electromechanical Manager in Rolling Meadows, IL. Limited travel may be required.
Roles and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
- Lead the development and execution of mechanical and electromechanical design concepts for payload ECAs and subsystem hardware
- Oversee mechanical requirements analysis and define technical strategies for complex projects
- Ensure compliance with all mechanical, structural, and thermal design requirements through rigorous review and analysis
- Mentor and guide engineering teams across multiple disciplines to achieve program objectives
- Direct design reviews and participate in risk assessment and mitigation activities
- Lead development and approval of mechanical drawings, documentation, and test fixtures
- Collaborate with procurement and vendors to source materials and components in alignment with project goals
- Provide technical leadership in hardware integration, testing, and validation processes
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of best practices in electromechanical design
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field with typically 8+ years of relevant experience or equivalent advanced degree and experience
- Deep expertise in electromechanical system design, including packaging, structural, and thermal analysis
- Proven ability to interpret and develop complex mechanical requirements and define design strategies
- Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and managing large-scale projects
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph
Preferred Qualifications:
- Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph
- Extensive experience in mechanical packaging design and payload integration within aerospace or space sectors
- Proficiency with MPLM, NX CAD tools, and Northrop Grumman drawing release processes
- Demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced, high-demand environments
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering or related field
- Typically 8+ years of relevant experience (or equivalent advanced degree and experience)
- Deep expertise in electromechanical system design including packaging, structural, and thermal analysis
- Proven ability to interpret and develop complex mechanical requirements and define design strategies
- Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and managing large-scale projects
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph
- Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph
- Extensive experience in mechanical packaging design and payload integration within aerospace or space sectors
- Proficiency with MPLM, NX CAD tools, and Northrop Grumman drawing release processes
- Demonstrated success leading multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced, high-demand environments
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.









