Northrop Grumman's Space Systems Sector (NGSS) has openings for a Principal Engineer - Level 3 to join our team in Gilbert, AZ.
As a Principal Electrical Engineer, you will be responsible for the research, requirements analysis, architecture, design, test and verification of our Command and Data Handling (C&DH) products. Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
General use and application of technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques
Understanding NGSS hardware design and test engineering practices and principles
Interaction with various stakeholders to determine electrical interfaces and operating characteristics
Understanding electrical circuits and FW/SW implementations for spaceflight hardware designs
Work individually or as part of a team to develop bench-level verification procedures, specifications and test limits to verify breadboard, engineering model and flight unit hardware functionality
Execute, support and monitor hardware testing/troubleshooting efforts with minimal oversight
Provide technical solutions to a variety of engineering issues of increasing scope and complexity
Possess technical insight and experience to assess hardware configurations and test results
Coordinate with engineering/operational leads, test conductors/technicians and I&T personnel in support of the delivery of board and box-level assemblies, which includes integration and test activities
Participate in, and prepare materials for, program review boards (ERBs, FRBs, TRRs, PDRs, CDRs)
Generate performance specifications, technical documents and review packages for flight hardware
Decomposition of system level requirements and related performance criteria down to the avionics box, circuit card and FPGA levels
Provide inputs for technical, cost and schedule performance assessments
Effectively operate within a diverse multi-discipline engineering team
Communicate effectively and clearly present technical approaches/findings
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field with 5 years of professional experience, or a Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience, or a PhD with 1 year of professional experience
Solid background and understanding of digital and analog circuit design for spaceflight applications
Direct related experience with schematic capture and circuit card (CCA) layout practices
Direct related experience with circuit analysis (i.e., worst case (WCA), part stress (PSA), failure modes & effects (FMEA), signal integrity (SI), timing and radiation)
Experience developing detailed test plans and procedures to evaluate avionics hardware
Experience leading the design, development, and testing of breadboards, engineering models, and flight units through manufacturing and verification
Experience participating in and/or leading detailed design reviews
Experience in hardware troubleshooting and anomaly investigations for spaceflight applications
Lab experience that includes testing and working with test equipment
Preferred Qualifications
Active U.S. Government DoD Top Secret security clearance
Direct related experience in the development, integration and testing of spaceflight hardware for Aerospace applications
Experience with automated flight hardware testing via scripting languages (e.g., Perl, Python, TCL)
Experience with IEEE parts selection, identifying alternate parts, and resolving component level issues
Experience with selecting parts with suitable radiation characteristics for spaceflight applications
Familiarity with PCB layout, defining layout constraints, supporting board layout activities and providing oversight to board layout personnel
Solid background and understanding of mixed signal circuit design
Familiarity with FPGA design and Microcontroller code development and test
Experience integrating Microprocessors and FPGAs into CCA designs
Experience with requirements verification using DOORS
Experience with environmental testing (Thermal Cycle/Thermal Vacuum, Dynamics & EMI)
Experience interacting with personnel on technical matters requiring coordination between various engineering disciplines
Strong verbal, written communications, and interpersonal skills
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related STEM with 5 years, Master's with 3 years, or PhD with 1 year of professional experience
- Solid background in digital and analog circuit design for spaceflight applications
- Direct experience with schematic capture and circuit card (CCA) layout practices
- Direct experience with circuit analysis (worst case analysis, part stress analysis, FMEA, signal integrity, timing, radiation)
- Experience developing detailed test plans and procedures to evaluate avionics hardware
- Experience leading design, development, and testing of breadboards, engineering models, and flight units through manufacturing and verification
- Experience participating in and/or leading detailed design reviews
- Experience in hardware troubleshooting and anomaly investigations for spaceflight applications
- Lab experience including testing and working with test equipment
- Active U.S. Government DoD Top Secret security clearance
- Experience in development, integration, and testing of spaceflight hardware for aerospace applications
- Experience with automated flight hardware testing via scripting languages (Perl, Python, TCL)
- Experience with IEEE parts selection, identifying alternate parts, and resolving component level issues
- Experience selecting parts with suitable radiation characteristics for spaceflight applications
- Familiarity with PCB layout, defining layout constraints, and supporting board layout activities
- Solid background and understanding of mixed-signal circuit design
- Familiarity with FPGA design and microcontroller code development and test
- Experience integrating microprocessors and FPGAs into CCA designs
- Experience with requirements verification using DOORS
- Experience with environmental testing (Thermal Cycle/Thermal Vacuum, Dynamics & EMI)
- Strong verbal, written communications, and interpersonal skills
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.








