Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems MQ-4 Triton Program seeks a Principal Engineer Aeronautical or Senior Principal Engineer Aeronautical – Control Account Manager to support the Air Vehicle Hardware Avionics team in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
The applicant will join our team of engineers who support the Triton Program Vehicle Management Systems (VMS) Integrated Product Teams (IPT) and will report to the Triton VMS Manager. The VMS IPT is responsible for the implementation of the subsystems required to maintain safe control of the trajectory of the vehicle in both up-and-away flight and on the ground. The Hardware Avionics group is responsible for management of the following subsystems: Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), Radar Altimeter (RadAlt), Air Data System (ADS), flight actuation system, and the Vehicle Management Computer (flight computer). General duties for the candidate will include acting as the control account manager for the Triton development contracts.
Key Responsibilities:
- Ensure compliance to Earned Value policies and procedures to assigned area of control accounts
- Provide Earned Value Management (EVM) status, updates and other analysis of material and labor actual costs / estimates as needed, schedule projections, cost and schedule variance analysis and risk assessments
- Determines, monitors, and reviews costs, operational budgets and schedules, and manpower requirements
- Participate in proposal preparation to include negotiations with customer
- Formulates and recommends corrective action measures such as schedule revisions, manpower adjustments and fund allocations
- Develop monthly forecasts of material and labor and conduct variance analysis to submitted forecasts
- Ensures value is being delivered to the customer and aligns technical, business, and execution strategies
- Coordinate with Engineering, Purchasing, and other departments to achieve material availability requirements to meet program schedules and needs
- Coordinate with Engineering, Purchasing and other departments to analyze, review and authorize material procurements and status as needed
- Research and help respond to DCMA inquiries regarding monthly data submissions.
- Participate in preparation for and support events such as Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBR), Program Management Reviews (PMR) and all other EVM or audit activities. Support and brief the associated data and submission in these events
- Be proficient in analyzing large amounts of data, with excellent verbal and written communication skills to confidently interact with and influence all levels of the organization.
This position can be filled at either the Principal Engineer or Senior Principal Engineer level.
Basic Qualifications:
- Basic qualifications for a Principal Engineer Aeronautical 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 no experience
- Basic qualifications for a Senior Principal Engineer Aeronautical 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
- Your ability to obtain and/or transfer and maintain the final U.S. adjudicated U.S. 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 U.S. Government Secret security clearance or higher
- Experience with Material Earned Value processes is desired – including the establishment of the material baseline, BCR’s, IBR’s, submitting monthly work package status, VAR inputs/outputs to the status, CPR’s, risk register, accounting adjustments/estimated actuals, etc.
- Experience with Scheduling software such as Primavera or Microsoft Project.
- Proficient in analyzing large amounts of data
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Previous experience as a Control Account Manager.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics and at least 5 years of experience for the Principal Engineer level
- Master's degree in STEM and at least 3 years of experience for the Principal Engineer level
- PhD degree with no experience for the Principal Engineer level
- Bachelor's degree in STEM and at least 8 years of experience for the Senior Principal Engineer level
- Master's degree in STEM and at least 6 years of experience for the Senior Principal Engineer level
- PhD degree and at least 3 years of experience for the Senior Principal Engineer level
- Ability to obtain, transfer, and maintain a final U.S. government Secret clearance
- Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance or higher
- Experience with material earned value processes
- Experience with Primavera or Microsoft Project
- Proficiency analyzing large amounts of data
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Previous experience as a Control Account Manager
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.







