Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a highly motivated Principal and Sr Principal Flight Test Engineer to primarily support the SCS Flight Test Team based out of Patuxent River, MD. Candidate will provide support for all flight test activities, to include test planning, creation of required test procedures, post test data analysis, creation of problem reports, and reporting on test results. Candidate shall display professionalism, leadership, have a strong work ethic, work well with others, and be able to function as member of the Flight Test Team.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Assist in development, execution and peer review of test procedures
Participate in both Formal and Non-Formal Test execution events
Participate in test planning, problem report validation testing, and post testing data analysis
Provide support in the creation of required test artifacts
Lead potential moderate size test efforts and events in support of Flight Test leadership
Attend and participate in all Flight Test meetings
Experience working in high paced environments
Willing to support multiple shifts and odd hours to accommodate testing efforts and lab schedules.
"This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below"
Basic Qualifications:
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal or a Sr Principal Flight Test Engineer.
Basic Qualification for a Principal Flight Test Engineer
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 3 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Top Secret clearance
Candidate shall have experience generating technical documents and working with various software/data processing tools such as MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and other various programming languages
An understanding of common Test Engineering test methodologies and practices
Basic Qualification for a Sr Principal Flight Test Engineer
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 6 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Top Secret clearance
Candidate shall have experience generating technical documents and working with various software/data processing tools such as MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and other various programming languages
An understanding of common Test Engineering test methodologies and practices
Preferred Experience:
Software test automation experience
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline and 5 years related professional/military experience, or a Master's degree and 3 years related experience (Principal level)
- Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline and 8 years related professional/military experience, or a Master's degree and 6 years related experience (Sr Principal level)
- Active US Government Top Secret clearance
- U.S. Citizenship (required for positions with government clearance)
- Experience generating technical documents and using MS Word, MS Excel, and PowerPoint
- Experience with programming languages and data processing tools
- Understanding of common Test Engineering methodologies and practices
- Willingness to support multiple shifts and odd hours to accommodate testing
- Software test automation 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.






