Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered by providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!
We are looking for you to join our team as an Engineering Program Manager Level 3/4 based out of Sunnyvale, CA. This role is part of the Strategic Launcher Engineering team that will be supporting various programs under the Fleet Ballistic Missile umbrella. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of automation.
What you’ll get to do:
The Engineering Program Manager Level 3/4 will work with the Engineering Managers and technical leads to ensure the end-to-end technical execution, cost, schedule, quality, and staffing of development efforts. This position requires multi-discipline knowledge in all areas related to engineering including systems design, hardware, systems engineering, and integration and test. You will work on the following:
- Oversee and manage programmatic execution of the engineering related scope on their program including cost target flow-down.
- Act as Scrum Master and remove barriers for the team
- Own the engineering control account, collect cost and schedule performance data, and drive corrective actions.
- Create and maintain an executable engineering schedule and budget that align with program milestones.
- Lead the Engineering proposal activities
- Manage the engineering scope baseline, evaluate change requests, and enforce configuration control per the System Engineering Management Plan (SEMP).
- Develop and maintain engineering staffing demands
- Collecting and managing engineering Metrics, developing RTGs as appropriate and driving to completion
- Technical Scope Management - Ensure system technical compliance with the program Statement of Work and system requirements
- Identify, assess, and log technical risks and opportunities; develop and track mitigation plans.
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below:
Basic Qualifications for Level 3:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 5 years relevant experience; or Master’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 3 years of relevant work experience; or a PhD in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 0 years relevant experience.
- 4 years’ experience as a technical project lead (e.g. IPT lead, functional lead, or equivalent).
- Understanding of Engineering processes with execution experience.
- Experience summarizing and communicating status reports to technical leadership at a level higher than immediate management.
- US Citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
Basic Qualifications for Level 4:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 8 years relevant experience; or Master’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 6 years of relevant work experience; or a PhD in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 3 years relevant experience.
- 4 years’ experience as a technical project lead (e.g. IPT lead, functional lead, or equivalent).
- Understanding of Engineering processes with execution experience.
- Experience summarizing and communicating status reports to technical leadership at a level higher than immediate management.
- US Citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Solid technical foundation in systems engineering with experience in multiple aspects of the systems engineering process, with an emphasis on early development phases including requirements analysis, trade studies, and proof of concept tests.
- Experience in Program/Project management of hardware intensive programs including demonstrated knowledge of earned value management.
- Self-directed technical leader with strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to act as a liaison to the customer for engineering efforts.
- Prior military or government contract experience.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Master's or PhD alternatives with adjusted years)
- 5-8 years relevant engineering/program management experience (level dependent)
- 4 years' experience as a technical project lead (IPT lead, functional lead, or equivalent)
- Understanding of engineering processes with execution experience
- Experience summarizing and communicating status to technical leadership above immediate management
- US Citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret clearance
- Experience with earned value management and hardware-intensive programs
- Solid systems engineering foundation (requirements analysis, trade studies, early development)
- Strong verbal and written communication and ability to act as customer liaison
- Prior military or government contract experience
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.







