Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Principal/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer Level 3 or Level 4 to join our team in Dulles, VA. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.
The qualified candidates will support new programs within the Space Superiority and Warfighting Division
This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.
In this job, you will:
- Supporting major program milestones and readiness reviews by developing technical content and summarizing them into presentations for key stakeholders.
- Authoring and providing input to program data products and other vital deliverables.
- Working with mission partners to accurately model mission-level elements.
- Assessment of a vehicle’s day-in-the-life and creation of design reference missions (DRMs).
- Producing miscellaneous analysis, such as propellant budget analyses, on-orbit fuel requirements, RF link budgets, and mission lifetime estimates.
- Development of analysis tools as required.
- Requirements Management, including the decomposition of requirements from the Mission down to Subsystems.
- Interface Management, including the development of Interface Control Documentation.
This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.
This position can be filled at either a Level 3 or Level 4.
Basic Qualifications for Level 3:
- Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience or Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience or PhD with 1 year of professional experience
- Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- Experience in systems engineering to include architectural studies, technical baseline definition, requirements & interface management, hardware/software integration, and mission planning & execution
- Experience working with a cross-discipline engineering team
Basic Qualifications for Level 4:
- Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience or Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience or PhD with 4 years of professional experience
- Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- Experience in systems engineering to include architectural studies, technical baseline definition, requirements & interface management, hardware/software integration, and mission planning & execution.
- Experience working with a cross-discipline engineering team
Preferred Qualifications:
- Exposure to Northrop Grumman space vehicle design and production.
- Experience working on Class B, C, or D Space Systems.
- Experience with developing and presenting briefing slides to senior leaders and executive level personnel.
- Ability to lead a multi-disciplinary team.
- Experience in system architecture, CONOPs development, or model-based system engineering.
- Experience in scripting languages and modeling tools (e.g. Python, STOL, MATLAB, STK, etc).
- Experience in any of the following areas is also desired: orbital mechanics, orbital debris modeling, spacecraft attitude control, power systems and modeling, avionics or digital electronics design, risk analysis, communications, or spacecraft integration and testing.
Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space
#NOVASPACE
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The 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
- Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance at time of application
- U.S. Citizenship required for positions with a government clearance
- Level 3 qualification: Bachelor's degree +5 years OR Master's +3 years OR PhD +1 year
- Level 4 qualification: Bachelor's degree +8 years OR Master's +6 years OR PhD +4 years
- Experience in systems engineering including architectural studies, technical baseline definition, requirements and interface management, hardware/software integration, and mission planning and execution
- Experience working with a cross-discipline engineering team
- Position is 100% onsite in Dulles, VA (cannot telecommute)
- Exposure to Northrop Grumman space vehicle design and production
- Experience working on Class B, C, or D Space Systems
- Experience developing and presenting briefing slides to senior leaders and executive-level personnel
- Ability to lead a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience in system architecture, CONOPs development, or model-based systems engineering
- Experience with scripting languages and modeling tools (e.g., Python, STOL, MATLAB, STK)
- Experience in orbital mechanics, orbital debris modeling, spacecraft attitude control, power systems modeling, avionics or digital electronics design, risk analysis, communications, or spacecraft integration and testing
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.
