Principal/Sr. Principal System Engineer 3/4

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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.

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 just a part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a Systems Engineer. This onsite position is in Oklahoma City, OK.

The Principal/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer will be responsible for developing and executing the program. 

Roles and Responsibilities will include:

• Analyze tooling/support equipment and recommend appropriate solutions for repair, rework, or alternative solutions using modern manufacturing methods.
• Assess, interpret, and recommend changes to engineering drawings.
• Generate complex engineering models and drawings
• Create and review detailed 3‑D CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA, NX) models, drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Develop design concepts, criteria and engineering tasks for product development, production, integration and test.
• Assist or lead design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) reviews; recommend geometry or material changes to reduce production cost.
• Generate and maintain technical documentation: specifications, test plans, failure‑analysis reports, and engineering change orders (ECOs).
• Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to qualify components, conduct fit‑checks, and resolve technical issues.
• Support prototype build‑up, fixture design, and tooling selection; oversee test‑fixture fabrication and instrument integration.
• Research, plan, design and develop mechanical products and systems
• Analyze complex systems and precision electro-mechanical assemblies through simulation and/or analysis to then recommend appropriate substitutions or redesign solutions to ensure the integrity of the platform configuration, system safety, and performance specifications while minimally impacting qualification processes.
• Apply research to the planning, design, development, and testing of mechanical and/or electromechanical systems, instruments, controls, engines, and/or machines.
• Identify, analyze, and solve obsolescence issues.
• Establish milestones and monitor adherence to master plans and schedules.
• Identify program risks and assist in the establishing of mitigation steps
• Act independently to uncover and resolve issues associated with the development and implementation of programs.
• Validate and qualify production tooling, fixtures, and automation equipment; coordinate design changes with mechanical engineering.
• Support process improvement and establishment of new or updated processes.
• Perform functional analysis, timeline analysis, detail trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware specifications.
• Generate reports for customers, engineering leadership, and other cross-functional organizations.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, best‑practice libraries, and knowledge‑management processes across the organization.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility.  There is NO remote / hybrid / telework available for this position.  Travel up to 25% may be required.

**This position may be filled either at the Principal Systems Engineer level OR at the Sr. Principal Systems Engineer level based on the qualifications listed.**

Basic Qualifications

• Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.
• Sr. Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret / Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
• Must be able to work on-site in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Experience with CAD modeling (NX, CATIA)
• Experience performing best fit analysis of aircraft structures
• Basic knowledge of composites
• Ability to mentor junior engineer
• Experience in systems engineering across the full lifecycle (requirements, architecture/design, integration, verification & validation, and/or operations).
• Demonstrated experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, JIRA, or equivalent).
• Proven ability to lead technical efforts and work effectively in cross functional teams.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership and/or customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• A U.S. Citizen with Active DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance OR active DoD Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.
• Experience as a primary or chairing Material Review Board (MRB) engineer on major aerospace/defense programs.
• Familiarity with root cause/corrective action (RCCA) methodologies (8D, 5 Why, fishbone/Ishikawa, etc.).
• Background in systems engineering for production or sustainment programs (requirements flowdown, verification, risk management).
• Experience handling customer waivers/deviations and presenting MRB decisions in customer reviews.
• Master’s degree in relevant engineering discipline.
• Understanding of automation scripting using Python
• Experience with design/manufacturing/repair of composite structures
• Experience designing Tooling, fixtures, and support equipment for composite/metallic structures
• Experience in technical leadership role on a cross-functional product development team
• Experience designing tooling and support equipment
• Experience with tools like Jira, Bitbucket, Gitlab, GitHub.
• Familiar with Agile methodology.
• Ability to author and maintain technical installation, configuration, and update documentation.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to interface with all levels of employees and management.

Primary Level Salary Range: $93,300.00 - $174,500.00Secondary 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.