Job Description
At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, a pioneering spirit to invent the future and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems has an opening for a Principal Hardware Engineer (Level 3) to join our Manufacturing Engineering team. This position will be located at our Mission Systems Sector in San Diego, CA.
The qualified candidate will become part of Northrop Grumman’s San Diego Operations Test Engineering Department. The department supports the Communication Systems (CS) Business Unit and Secure Processing and Networking (SPAN) Business Unit within the Networked Information Solutions (NIS) Division of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. This position is fulltime onsite and is located at the Rancho Carmel campus in San Diego and will also support our Spectrum campus in San Diego if needed. This role reports to the Test Engineering Manager in San Diego. Our expertise is in delivering complex communications solutions to enable modern battlefields and support communications missions.
What You'll Get to do:
- Design, develop, and implement testing methods and equipment
- Troubleshoot and support RF and digital hardware
- Support First Time Through Test Yield (FTTTY) and hardware deliveries
- Analyze test data and identify early trends
- Compile data and define changes required in testing equipment, testing procedures, manufacturing processes, or new testing requirements
- Collaborate with design engineering to develop and implement hardware improvements and solutions
- Support technicians through troubleshoot and training
- Monitor product yields and aggressively work to maintain program yield targets
- Support program meetings in developing root cause and corrective actions
- Attend program meetings to report yield issues, yield detractor investigation finding, and corrective actions
- Interface with manufacturing management, test technicians, production engineers, design engineers, system engineers, program management and program support teams
Scheduled telework days can be approved at manager's discretion. This position requires the ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field plus 5 or more years of relevant experience; or a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field plus 3 years of experience. An additional 4 years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
- Experience in working in classified and unclassified networks, network storage devices, security appliances, and government external interfaces.
- Working knowledge of engineering principles, processes, and software/hardware integration.
- Experience with performing essential electrical and RF troubleshooting using equipment such as but not limited to: Multimeter, Network/Spectrum Analyzer, Oscilloscope, etc.
- Experience reading and interpreting specifications, schematics and block diagrams
- Experience with measuring test equipment effectiveness including availability, performance, and quality.
- Experience with VHDL Concepts & Programming
- Hands-on troubleshooting of electrical/electro-mechanical hardware experience
- Experience working both independently and as part of an integrated product team.
Preferred Qualifications:
- MS degree in Electrical Engineering, or related fields, with specialization in RF.
- Experience of C, C++, LabVIEW or other scripting languages
- Experience with FPGAs, VHDL programming, advanced troubleshooting techniques
- Active DoD Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation) with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance.
What We Can Offer You:
Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family.
Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00The 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
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field plus 5+ years experience; or Master's degree plus 3 years; or additional 4 years relevant experience in lieu of degree
- Experience working in classified and unclassified networks, network storage devices, security appliances, and government external interfaces
- Working knowledge of engineering principles, processes, and software/hardware integration
- Experience performing electrical and RF troubleshooting using multimeter, network/spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope
- Experience reading and interpreting specifications, schematics and block diagrams
- Experience measuring test equipment effectiveness including availability, performance, and quality
- Experience with VHDL concepts and programming
- Hands-on troubleshooting of electrical/electro-mechanical hardware
- Experience working both independently and as part of an integrated product team
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
- U.S. Citizenship (required for positions with government clearance)
- MS degree in Electrical Engineering or related field with specialization in RF
- Experience with C, C++, LabVIEW or other scripting languages
- Experience with FPGAs, VHDL programming, and advanced troubleshooting techniques
- Active DoD Secret (or higher) clearance with recent background investigation or Continuous Evaluation, and ability to obtain/maintain Top Secret
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.








