Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Modeling Simulation and Analysis Engineer (Principal or Sr. Principal Level) to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization. This role may be located in El Segundo, CA.
In this role, you will provide technical leadership and work in collaborative small team environments to conduct research and analysis, develop models and scenarios, and perform analysis of a wide variety of system types across multiple domains (friendly and adversary; ground, air and space) to drive the development of clean-sheet requirements, refine existing program system requirements, and influence the pursuit of future technologies and capabilities. You will work with air vehicle and subsystem engineers, as well as with program and customer leadership, to recommend candidate designs, and to develop Concepts of Operation (CONOPs) and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) at the system, mission, and campaign levels.
You will be responsible for developing new and/or integrate existing system simulation frameworks, performance models and algorithms, threat models and command and control models. In this role you will be expected to thrive in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, collaborative/team settings across all levels.
Essential Functions:
Lead teams in technical execution systems analysis and simulation tasks/projects.
Develop software and analytical tools to model behavior of systems in real-time and constructive simulations.
Develop, integrate, and use advanced graphical user interfaces and visualization tools.
Model operational environments, performs trade studies via computer simulation and recommends alternative architectures.
Performs operational analysis and mission effectiveness analysis.
Create and apply knowledge of TTPs to support blue/red kill chains across multiple security environments, programs, architectures, and platforms.
Provide blue/red tactics and CONOPS modeling, simulation, and analysis in mission-level models to help accomplish long-term objectives related to program development, execution, and related research and development projects.
Perform mission engineering activities to ensure continuity between desired operational capabilities and delivered system performance, through the Systems Engineering “V”. Ensure performance capabilities of new systems and architectures are traded against cost and mission requirements; develop operationally relevant mission scenarios; assess operational effectiveness of existing and emerging systems and capabilities in representative operational environments.
Solicit input from various stakeholders, synthesize data, and communicate results to various levels of leadership within the organization.
Develop advanced data analysis visualization tool sets.
This requisition may be filled at the Principal or Senior Principal level based on requirements listed below.
Basic Qualifications:
For Principal Engineer (Level 3):
Must have a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master's Degree and 3 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Ph.D. and 1 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
For Senior Principal Engineer (Level 4):
Must have a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in a STEM discipline and 8 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master's Degree and 6 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Ph.D. and 4 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
And Applicable For Both Levels:
Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain US Government Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable period of time, as determined by business needs.
Must have scripting experience with tools such as MATLAB, Python, C++, Java, or experience conducting software-based trade studies.
Must have experience with simulation framework tools such as AFSIM, Suppressor, or STK.
Must have experience with modeling operational environments, conducting operations analysis, and mission effectiveness trade study analyses.
Must have experience in at least one of the following areas:
Research, Analysis, and Creating Assessments of Foreign Threats to US Military systems
Operations Modeling and Simulation of Radars, Missiles, Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS), Air, Sea, and/or Space platforms
Analysis of defense systems at the mission level of Survivability, Lethality, Vulnerability, and Engagement.
Low Observables (LO)
Modeling and Analysis of Radio Frequency (RF) signals, Infrared (IR), Electro-Optical (EO), and/or Acoustic
Modeling and Analysis of Electronic Attack (EA), Electronic Protection (EP), and/or Electronic Countermeasures
Friendly/Adversary CONOPs and tactics
Preferred Qualifications:
Operational military background or experience in any of the following: Fighter or Bomber Pilot, Electronic Warfare Officer/Weapons Systems Officer, Air Battle Manager, Intelligence Officer, Joint Duty Officer
Familiarity with AGILE, MBSE, and/or system architecture.
Effective project management skills and good communication.
Experience with version control tools (Bitbucket, GitHub, Gitlab, etc.).
Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
Excellent communications skills, including the ability to present and brief technical data to all levels of leadership within the organization and U.S. Government.
A current active in-scope U.S. Government DoD Top Secret security clearance with current or previous Special Program Access (SAP)/SCI.
Experience in at least two of the following areas:
Research, Analysis, and Creating Assessments of Foreign Threats to US Military systems
Operations Modeling and Simulation of Radars, Missiles, Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS), Air, Sea, and/or Space platforms
Analysis of defense systems at the mission level of Survivability, Lethality, Vulnerability, and Engagement.
Low Observables (LO)
Modeling and Analysis of Radio Frequency (RF) signals, Infrared (IR), Electro-Optical (EO), and/or Acoustic
Modeling and Analysis of Electronic Attack (EA), Electronic Protection (EP), and/or Electronic Countermeasures
Friendly/Adversary CONOPs and tactics
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (or Master's/Ph.D. with reduced experience) with required years of related professional/military Systems Engineering experience (Principal: B.S.+5 yrs or M.S.+3 yrs or Ph.D.+1 yr; Senior Principal: B.S.+8 yrs or M.S.+6 yrs or Ph.D.+4 yrs).
- Active US Government Secret or higher clearance with background investigation within last 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation.
- Ability to obtain and maintain US Government Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) access.
- Scripting/software experience with MATLAB, Python, C++, or Java and experience conducting software-based trade studies.
- Experience with simulation framework tools such as AFSIM, Suppressor, or STK.
- Experience modeling operational environments, conducting operations analysis, and mission effectiveness/trade-study analyses.
- Experience in at least one: foreign threat assessment, operations modeling of radars/missiles/IADS/air/sea/space platforms, mission-level analysis (survivability/lethality/vulnerability/engagement), Low Observables, RF/IR/EO/Acoustic modeling, Electronic Attack/Protection/Countermeasures, or friendly/adversary CONOPs and tactics.
- U.S. citizenship (required for positions with government clearance).
- Familiarity with Agile/MBSE and version control tools (Bitbucket, GitHub, GitLab) and effective project communication/leadership skills.
- Operational military background (pilot, EW officer, ABM, intelligence, joint duty) and prior Top Secret/SAP/SCI experience.
- Experience in at least two of the listed specialized defense analysis areas (preferred).
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.
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