Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA is currently seeking a Principal or Senior Principal Signal/Image Processing Engineer with a current/active Top Secret clearance to support sensor exploitation activities in the Artificial Intelligence and Analytics department.
What You’ll get to Do:
In this role, the selected candidate will join a staff of signal/image processing engineers, systems engineers, and software engineers that supports the development of signal and image processing algorithms and software. In this position you will develop and prototype new algorithms or enhancements to existing algorithms, refine the algorithms on the program database, and work in close collaboration with software engineers who implement the algorithms in configured software products. The position requires knowledge of classical signal processing techniques; the supported programs also increasingly value and use AI/ML-based algorithms.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Introducing and developing new algorithm components for the exploitation of signal and image data
- Applying classical signal/image processing algorithms and/or machine learning algorithms to large sets of structured and unstructured data to solve a broad range of problems that include applications in pattern recognition, target detection and tracking, and false alarm mitigation
- Interfacing with software engineers to ensure implemented algorithms are correct, robust, and maintainable
- Designing a robust test suite
- Creating presentation material to explain and document work, and presenting to internal and external stakeholders
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Level or a Sr. Principal Level.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Signal / Image Processing Engineer:
- 5 years of Engineering experience with a Bachelors of Science in a STEM discipline; 3 years of Engineering experience with Masters, or 1 year of Engineering experience with a PhD
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, CA
- Background in signal/image processing
- Experience working in MATLAB and/or Python
- Demonstrated presentation skills
- Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders
Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Signal / Image Processing Engineer:
- 8 years of Engineering experience with a Bachelors of Science in a STEM discipline; 6 years of Engineering experience with Masters, or 4 year of Engineering experience with a PhD
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, CA
- Background in signal/image processing
- Experience working in MATLAB and/or Python
- Demonstrated presentation skills
- Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience designing novel mathematical and statistical modeling and algorithm products to tackle the challenges of prediction, optimization, and classification
- Experience designing signal processing algorithms for advance computer architectures
- Familiarity with C / C++
- Familiarity with current AI/ML techniques
This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.
Primary Level Salary Range: $125,300.00 - $187,900.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $156,400.00 - $234,600.00The 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
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret Clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, CA
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
- Background in signal/image processing
- Experience working in MATLAB and/or Python
- Demonstrated presentation skills
- Demonstrated effective communication and interpersonal skills, ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders
- Principal-level experience: 5 years engineering experience with a BS, 3 years with an MS, or 1 year with a PhD
- Sr. Principal-level experience: 8 years engineering experience with a BS, 6 years with an MS, or 4 years with a PhD
- Experience designing novel mathematical and statistical modeling and algorithm products
- Experience designing signal processing algorithms for advanced computer architectures
- Familiarity with C/C++
- Familiarity with current AI/ML techniques
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
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.






