Principal Engineering Design

Reposted One Month Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Palmdale, CA, USA
In-Office
104K-155K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Logistics • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
The Role
Design and integrate avionics and electrical harnesses for air vehicle systems. Create CAD layouts, electrical schematics, and cable/interface assemblies. Coordinate procurement and lab integration, support troubleshooting, verification, and documentation across the product lifecycle.
Summary Generated by Built In
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal Design Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located in Palmdale, CA.

In this role you will design major components or major portions of a functional system to develop or improve products and facilitate manufacturing operations. Develop basic data and make preliminary layouts, sketches, and notes necessary to present design proposal. Investigate pertinent design factors such as ease of manufacture, availability of materials and equipment, interchangeability, replace ability, strength-weight efficiency, and contractual specification requirements and cost. Coordinate with other organizations affected by design development. Make layouts of complex assemblies and detail parts of devices, mechanisms, and structures. Check completed layouts and drawings for clarity, completeness, conformity to standards, procedures, specifications, and accuracy of calculations and dimensioning. Identify design errors, omissions, and other deficiencies, and recommend revisions and/or improvements in design layout to responsible engineers or designers.

As the Design Engineer, you will be responsible for developing and integrating designs for various air vehicle systems and subsystems. Your work will involve integration into labs, test vehicles, or specialized test equipment. You will engage in design activities related to cable interface assemblies. Use standard computer aided design (CAD) digitizing techniques and skills. Digitizes, edits, and revises engineering drawings of components, parts, circuits, structures and/or assemblies. Makes engineering computations, mathematical calculations, determines scales, and prepares or revises specifications

Key Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

  • Development of avionics and lab harness designs and schematics
  • Coordination and liaison of electrical engineering designs through the procurement process
  • Coordination and liaison of electrical design integration and assembly
  • Lead and coordinate integration of hardware in a laboratory environment
  • Development of documentation in support of designs and product lifecycle management
  • Support troubleshooting and system verification in a lab setting

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline with 5 years’ experience; 3 years’ experience with a Master’s degree; or 1 year’ experience with a PhD.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen and with the ability to obtain and maintain an Active U.S. Government Secret clearance.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain Special Access Programs (SAP) clearance as a condition of continued employment

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Knowledge of communications hardware and protocol for Ethernet, serial, 1553
  • Knowledge of electrical components, power design and considerations
  • Proficiency in interpreting and creating electrical schematics and wiring diagrams.
  • Knowledge leading design projects, including cable assemblies, data acquisition hardware, and sensor integration

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

The 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 STEM with 5 years' experience, Master's with 3 years, or PhD with 1 year.
  • U.S. Citizenship.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility/clearance.
  • Experience with CAD/digitizing techniques for engineering drawings and layouts.
  • Knowledge of communications hardware and protocols (Ethernet, serial, 1553).
  • Knowledge of electrical components, power design, and considerations.
  • Proficiency interpreting and creating electrical schematics and wiring diagrams.
  • Experience leading design projects including cable assemblies, data acquisition hardware, and sensor integration.

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.

  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
  • Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.

Northrop Grumman Insights

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The Company
HQ: Charlotte, North Carolina
85,636 Employees

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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