Northrop Grumman Space Systems sector, located in Redondo Beach, California, is seeking a Principal Engineer Optical to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. The qualified applicant will become part of a team that produces advanced models and simulations.
**Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award and obtaining customer funding prior to the start date**
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Support the development of architectures and requirements for emerging EO/IR sensor systems
- Perform EO/IR sensor performance analysis, modeling and simulation to enable evaluations of sensor designs
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline with 5+ years of EO/IR performance analysis experience in an aerospace environment; or Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of EO/IR performance analysis experience in an aerospace environment; or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 1+ years of EO/IR performance analysis experience in an aerospace environment.
- Analytical programming experience in Matlab or Python
- Candidate must have and be able to maintain an active U.S. Government security clearance at the Secret level with a background investigation date within 10 years
Preferred Qualifications:
- Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or Astrophysics or Chemistry
- Experience personally building EO/IR sensors or sensor instrumentation and an understanding of EO/IR sensor hardware
- Ability to maintain an active U.S. Government security clearance at the Top Secret level with a background investigation date within 6 years, or the ability to maintain an active U.S. Government SCI access with a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) completed within the last 5 years
**Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award and obtaining customer funding prior to the start date**
Primary Level Salary Range: $125,300.00 - $187,900.00The 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
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years EO/IR performance analysis in aerospace OR Master's with 3+ years OR Ph.D. with 1+ year
- Analytical programming experience in Matlab or Python
- Must have and be able to maintain an active U.S. Government Secret security clearance with background investigation within 10 years
- Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, Astrophysics, or Chemistry
- Experience personally building EO/IR sensors or sensor instrumentation and understanding of EO/IR sensor hardware
- Ability to maintain Top Secret or SCI access (SSBI) or obtain within required timeframe
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.







