Principal / Senior Principal Engineer - Navigation

Posted 9 Days Ago
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San Diego, CA, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Aerospace • Logistics • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
The Role
Integrate and test navigation hardware for an unmanned aircraft vehicle management system, including GPS, inertial sensors, RF equipment, interfaces, and redundancy. Conduct laboratory and flight testing, troubleshoot production and field issues, resolve anomalies, support requirements verification, technical planning, risk analysis, and trade studies, and manage suppliers across development, production, and operational phases.
Summary Generated by Built In
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: 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 MQ-4 Triton Program seeks a Principal Engineer/ Sr. Principal Engineer Navigation to support the Vehicle Management System - Navigation team in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

The Vehicle Management System group is responsible for vehicle flight control and safety.  The Navigation team is responsible for managing the navigation subsystem, including Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, inertial measurement units (IMU), and radio-frequency equipment. The selected candidate will work independently and collaborate across multiple teams to deliver quality solutions.  General duties for the candidate include flight/lab testing, Production/Field Support, anomaly resolution, and supplier management.

The role is dynamic as members of the team handle a broad range of activities across multiple phases of the program to include development, production, and operational support. Some of those responsibilities are:

  • Integrate navigation hardware, accounting for hardware capabilities/limitations, defining interfaces, and incorporating required redundancy.

  • Conduct investigations, system testing, and flight testing in lab environments.

  • Provide remote and on-site troubleshooting for Production and Field issues.

  • Support proposal development, technical planning, verification & validation, cost & risk analysis, and trade studies.

  • Ensure the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total system solutions that balance technical, schedule, and cost constraints.

This position can be filled at either the Principal Engineer or Senior Principal Engineer level.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Basic qualifications for a Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 5 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 3 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 1 year of experience

  • Basic qualifications for a Senior Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 8 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 6 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 3 years experience

  • General understanding of the GPS system, inertial sensors, and RF devices (amplifiers, splitters, etc.) and how these concepts are interconnected.

  • Experience with the following software Tools:  Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project, Visio), MATLAB

  • Experience with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, or multi-meters.

  • Your ability to obtain and/or transfer and maintain the final U.S. adjudicated government Secret clearance (must be in-scope or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation) and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active DoD Secret security clearance or higher

  • Comprehensive knowledge of navigation components, including receivers and inertial sensors.

  • Experience with system redundancy and associated safety analysis

  • Familiarity with databuses and related protocols, such as MIL-STD-1553, RS-422, ARINC-429

  • Experience performing system-level design/troubleshooting

  • Flight Test experience:  Some experience

  • Supplier management:  Some experience

  • Requirements verification testing:  Some experience

Primary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00

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 a STEM field and at least 5 years of experience for Principal Engineer level
  • Master’s degree in a STEM field and at least 3 years of experience for Principal Engineer level
  • PhD in a STEM field and at least 1 year of experience for Principal Engineer level
  • Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of experience for Senior Principal Engineer level
  • Master’s degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of experience for Senior Principal Engineer level
  • PhD in a STEM field and at least 3 years of experience for Senior Principal Engineer level
  • General understanding of GPS systems, inertial sensors, and RF devices
  • Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, Project, Visio, and MATLAB
  • Experience using oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, or multimeters
  • Ability to obtain, transfer, and maintain a final U.S. adjudicated government Secret clearance; clearance must be in-scope or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
  • Active DoD Secret clearance or higher
  • Comprehensive knowledge of navigation receivers and inertial sensors
  • Experience with system redundancy and safety analysis
  • Familiarity with MIL-STD-1553, RS-422, or ARINC-429
  • System-level design and troubleshooting experience
  • Flight test experience
  • Supplier management experience
  • Requirements verification testing experience

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

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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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