Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a On-Orbit Execution & Planning Engineer Level 3 or Level 4 to join our team in Colorado Springs, CO. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.
This candidate will be a part of the Execution Planning Team working collaboratively with government customers and operators to demonstrate and develop plans to increase the effectiveness of the capabilities. This candidate will have basic knowledge of dynamic satellite operations and Rendezvous Proximity and Operations (RPO) with preferred experience executing the missions on orbit. This candidate will closely work with the On-Orbit Test Team, Systems Engineering and Integration IPT lead, and nominal and campaign operations team to plan, deconflict, and execution risk reduction activities for system effectiveness.
This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.
Your mission, should you choose to accept:
- Provide technical solutions to enable the end state of the Mission Execution Planning Team against dynamic priorities and objectives in support of system effectiveness evaluations
- Contribute to design, planning, and execution of mission enabling risk reduction activities with customer and end user community
- Support the design, planning, and execution of activities within the end user community
- Support modeling and simulation of risk reduction activities with simulation capabilities and generate reports and assessments in support of on-orbit execution
- Contribute as a subject matter expert in space vehicle hardware configuration and trajectory flight safety in support of activity readiness reviews and recommendations
- Support assessments of systems effectiveness based on constellation design, space vehicle capability, ground system capability, and enterprise integrations
- Perform system-of-system trades, modeling, simulation and analysis to assess space mission architecture alternatives for delivering a customer mission effect, data or capability as it fits within a broader campaign
This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.
This position can be filled at either a Level 3 or Level 4.
Basic Qualifications for Level 3
- Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience or Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience or PhD with 1 year of professional experience
- Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- Basic understanding of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and the design of dynamic satellite trajectories against constraints, restraints, and objectives
- Experience operating satellite systems in a dynamic environment
Basic Qualifications for Level 4:
- Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience or Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience or PhD with 4 years of professional experience
- Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- Basic understanding of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and the design of dynamic satellite trajectories against constraints, restraints, and objectives
- Experience operating satellite systems in a dynamic environment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with RPO missions and the underpinning algorithms with knowledge of operations and planning
- Prior aerospace-related work experience for a U.S Government Agency or Contractor
- Previous experience with flight hardware on operational systems
- Experience in scripting languages and modeling tools (e.g. STK, Freeflyer, Python, STOL, etc)
Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space
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Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.Skills Required
- Active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- U.S. citizenship (required for positions with government clearance)
- Onsite work in Colorado Springs, CO (100% onsite, no telecommute)
- Level 3 education/experience: Bachelor's +5 years OR Master's +3 years OR PhD +1 year (or equivalent)
- Level 4 education/experience: Bachelor's +8 years OR Master's +6 years OR PhD +4 years (or equivalent)
- Basic understanding of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and design of dynamic satellite trajectories
- Experience operating satellite systems in a dynamic environment
- Experience with RPO missions and underpinning algorithms
- Prior aerospace-related work for a U.S. government agency or contractor
- Previous experience with flight hardware on operational systems
- Experience in scripting languages and modeling tools (e.g., STK, Freeflyer, Python, STOL)
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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