Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Principal Systems Engineer - IFC Management to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization. This role is located in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
To be successful in this role, you consider yourself a self-starter with familiarity working in an Integrated Product Team construct. You also see yourself able to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, while being action-oriented, with strong attention to detail and effective communication.
Roles and Responsibilities will include:
- Lead recurring IFC coordination and customer status meetings
- Act as the representative for the Technical Baseline Manager in Software Review Board for discrepancy report adjudication
- Ensure that impacts to program milestones are coordinated with the Technical Baseline Manager and Program Manager before adding content
- Lead a team of engineers from across the technical disciplines to align and coordinate execution of the development, integration, test, and certification of the IFC releases
- Develop the long term IFC strategy, content roadmaps, and estimated execution schedules
- Collaborate with the Technical Baseline Manager to manage the IFC content prioritization and selection process
- Act as the primary representative for the Technical Baseline Manager in Software Review Board for discrepancy report adjudication
- Manage discrepancy report resolution, coordinating troubleshooting plans with all affected Responsible Engineers and ensuring timely execution of the plan
- Manage IFC content additions, evaluating fix criticality and the execution schedule
- Ensure that impacts to program milestones are coordinated with the Technical Baseline Manager and Program Manager before adding content
- Develop, reviewing, and release of IFC Configuration Documentation and the IFC Certification Package, ensuring first time quality of those products
This position requires work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is no remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 10% may be required.
Basic Qualifications
- Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field and 8 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM field and 6 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and 4 years of relevant military / professional experience
- Must have experience in managing projects from concept through implementation.
- Must have an active US Government Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Current approved SAP clearance to applicable program
- Experience in leadership role on Sustainment Programs.
- Experience in Cost/Schedule Integration, EVMS and CAM responsibilities.
- Experience in proposal development.
- Demonstrated communication and technical writing skills.
- Proven ability to brief technical presentations to stakeholders.
- Experience in Full Lifecycle of Systems Engineering
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in a STEM field with 8 years relevant experience OR Master of Science in a STEM field with 6 years OR PhD with 4 years
- Active US Government Top Secret clearance with background investigation within last 6 years or currently enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time
- Experience managing projects from concept through implementation
- Work full-time on-site at Rancho Bernardo, CA (no remote/hybrid)
- Willingness/ability to travel up to 10%
- Current approved SAP clearance to applicable program
- Experience in leadership role on Sustainment Programs
- Experience in Cost/Schedule Integration, EVMS and CAM responsibilities
- Experience in proposal development
- Demonstrated communication and technical writing skills
- Proven ability to brief technical presentations to stakeholders
- Experience in full lifecycle of systems engineering
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.







