Northrop Grumman Corporation is offering a challenging and rewarding career as a Mechanical Engineer within the Mission Systems Sector located at the Rolling Meadows - Illinois facility.
This position will support the development, build, and test validation of ruggedized electronic equipment for military applications. The candidate will work within the Hardware Engineering organization. It is a high performing organization that values its employees and has a strong sense of purpose tied to the vision of Northrop Grumman: To be the most trusted provider of systems and technologies that ensure the security and the freedom of our nation and its allies. The candidate will be able to grow personally and professionally in an ethical and inclusive environment, while being an important part of a great team.
Strong communication skills are required for success in all phases of the role. The engineer will serve on and typically lead engineering teams, interfacing heavily with other mechanical engineers and analysts, as well as engineers from related disciplines, program management, and customers/stakeholders. The engineer is expected to manage schedule and budget for assigned projects, with the ability to identify and communicate any issues that may impact these goals.
The engineer will be responsible for solving challenging technical problems with innovative solutions that meet performance, cost, and schedule requirements. The engineer must have demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following specific technical skills: advanced thermal analysis, advanced structural analysis, microelectronics design, aircraft modification (Group A) design, or opto-mechanical design. The expertise will be applied at any phase of the product life cycle, including requirements analysis, concept design, detailed design, manufacture, and environmental test. The engineer will serve on engineering teams, and interface heavily with related disciplines and customers/stakeholders. Strong communication skills are required for success in all phases of the role.
The engineer will also contribute to overall knowledge base and skill level of the organization via coaching, knowledge transfer, and process improvement activities.
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This position will be full-time and on-site at our Rolling Meadows, IL. location
This position is contingent upon Funding/Contract award, special access program and acquiring and maintaining the necessary US Government security clearance per customers' requirements prior to start.
This position can be filled at the Principal or Sr. Principal level based on the requirements below.
Basic Qualifications for Principal Mechanical Engineer:
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a minimum of 5 years of experience in electronics packaging or a Master’s degree with 3 years of experience
- Extensive experience with hardware development and electro-mechanical packaging, including at least one of the following subjects: thermal analysis, structural analysis, microelectronics design, opto-mechanical design, environmental testing
- Proficiency with 3D CAD Tools (Siemens NX is preferred) and product data management tools
- Demonstrated leadership of small to moderately sized teams during the product development process including the review of technical work products
- Demonstrated application of innovative solutions to complex problems that arise within the design, development, and production phases-
- Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills including experience presenting at design reviews and customer/stakeholder briefings
- Displayed ability to exercise latitude in determining most appropriate technical approach of assignments
- U. S. citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain a minimum of a Secret Clearance with additional customer specified clearance prior to start.
Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Mechanical Engineer:
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with a minimum of 8 years of experience in electronics packaging or a Master’s degree with 6 years of experience
- Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following subjects: advanced thermal analysis, advanced structural analysis, microelectronics design, group A design, or opto-mechanical design
- Expertise in mechanical design and/or analysis tools
- Demonstrated application of innovative solutions to complex problems
- Experience reviewing technical work products of peers
- Experience presenting at design reviews and customer/stakeholder briefings
- Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
- U. S. citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain a minimum of a Secret Clearance with additional customer specified clearance prior to start.
Preferred Qualifications for Both Levels:
- Master of Science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- Expertise with ANSYS and/or other tools used for design analysis
- Familiarity with opto-mechanical engineering
- Working knowledge of military and commercial process specifications
- Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing
- Demonstrated success leading others within an integrated product team (IPT), supporting the development of junior engineers and cross functional collaboration for overall project success
- Experience with project management metrics, including earned value management, to monitor and manage engineering budget and schedule requirements
- Experience in design, manufacturing, and integration of electronic assemblies including appropriate material selections and use of off the shelf components
- Experience contributing to technical and cost proposal development
- Leadership in process improvement or knowledge transfer (i.e. publication) activities
Primary Level Salary Range: $95,800.00 - $143,600.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $119,200.00 - $178,800.00The 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 of Science in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering (BS) with minimum 5 years experience (Principal) or 8 years (Sr. Principal)
- U.S. citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain a minimum of a Secret clearance and additional customer specified clearance prior to start
- Extensive experience with hardware development and electro-mechanical packaging, including thermal analysis, structural analysis, microelectronics design, opto-mechanical design, or environmental testing
- Proficiency with 3D CAD tools (Siemens NX preferred) and product data management tools
- Demonstrated leadership of small to moderately sized teams during product development and review of technical work products
- Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills including experience presenting at design reviews and customer/stakeholder briefings
- Ability to manage schedule and budget for assigned projects
- Demonstrated application of innovative solutions to complex problems across design, development, and production
- Master of Science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
- Expertise with ANSYS and/or other design analysis tools
- Familiarity with opto-mechanical engineering
- Working knowledge of military and commercial process specifications
- Proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
- Experience with project management metrics, including earned value management
- Experience in design, manufacturing, and integration of electronic assemblies including material selection and use of off-the-shelf components
- Experience contributing to technical and cost proposal development
- Leadership in process improvement or knowledge transfer (e.g., publications)
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.
