Senior Principal Systems Engineering Integration & Test (SEIT) Lead – Airborne Navigation Systems

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

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. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA has been providing navigation and inertial measurement technology for over 60 years. Our solutions are deployed from undersea to deep space, including on James Webb Space Telescope and missions on Mars.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Senior Principal Systems Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT) Lead in Woodland Hills, CA. This role leads the systems engineering and verification effort for airborne navigation systems with a strong emphasis on the correct development, control, integration, and verification of system requirements. You will partner closely with Program Managers, Chief Engineers, product owners, and discipline functional engineering leadership to ensure the system design meets customer needs and is rigorously validated and verified.

This is a full time, on site role in Woodland Hills, CA.

 

What You’ll Get to Do

The SEIT Lead is accountable for the overall technical integrity and rigor of the systems engineering effort on the program. This includes ownership of requirements development and management, integration and test strategy, and verification and validation (V&V) planning and execution, with secondary responsibility for supporting program cost and schedule performance for SEIT scope.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead systems engineering, integration, and test activities across the full program lifecycle (capture through delivery) for airborne navigation systems.
• Own and maintain the system requirements baseline, including development, decomposition, allocation, traceability, and change control from customer requirements through subsystem and component levels.
• Use IBM Rational DOORS (or equivalent requirements management tools) to manage requirements, maintain traceability, and ensure configuration control of the requirements baseline.
• Ensure requirements are clear, verifiable, and consistent, and that they are implemented and verified through test, analysis, inspection, and/or demonstration.
• Develop, maintain, and execute the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), integration and test strategy, and verification cross-reference matrices (VCMs) / requirements verification matrices (RVMs).
• Lead the planning and execution of integration and test activities at subsystem and system levels, including lab, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight/field test environments as applicable.
• Ensure engineering execution meets the applicable level of rigor and aligns with standards including MIL STD 810 for environmental qualification, DO 178 and MIL STD 882 for safety critical software development and safety analyses, and DO 229 for GPS integrity certification.
• Lead major system technical reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) with senior internal leadership and customer stakeholders, including preparation of technical content, presentation materials, and closure of review actions.
• Serve as the primary systems engineering interface to the Program Manager, Chief Engineer, and functional organizations (Systems, Software, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, Supply Chain).
• Lead technical reviews and provide well-justified recommendations on technical trades, system architecture, and design decisions to balance performance, safety, and program constraints.
• Identify and manage technical risks, issues, and opportunities related to requirements, interfaces, integration, and verification; drive mitigation and “return-to-green” plans when technical performance is at risk.
• Collaborate with program planning and CAMs to provide credible inputs to estimates, schedules, and staffing for SEIT scope, and support cost and schedule performance for systems engineering and test activities.

 

Basic Qualifications – Senior Principal SEIT Lead

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or related technical field with 8+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 6+ years; or PhD with 4+ years.
• U.S. Citizenship.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary systems engineering activities on complex development programs.
• Experience in systems requirements development, decomposition, allocation, and traceability across the program lifecycle.
• Hands-on experience with requirements management tools (preferably IBM Rational DOORS) for requirements capture, linking, and change control.
• Experience in system integration and test, including planning and execution of verification activities (test, analysis, inspection, demonstration).
• Experience working on projects that include hardware, software, and firmware.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including the ability to present technical content at formal reviews with senior leadership and customers.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a STEM or related technical field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent, or formal systems engineering certifications (e.g., INCOSE CSEP).
• Active U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret clearance.
• Experience with airborne navigation systems, avionics, or safety critical aerospace systems, including:
  • DO-178 and MIL-STD-882 for safety critical software development and safety analyses.
  • DO-229 GPS integrity certification and performance requirements.
• Experience developing and maintaining interface control documents (ICDs), including serial interfaces (e.g., RS-422/RS-485) and digital bus/network interfaces (e.g., ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet-based avionics networks).
• Experience developing and maintaining system architectures, interface control documents (ICDs), and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) artifacts.
• Domain expertise in defense electronic systems (RF, EW, communications, sensors, or avionics).
• Working knowledge of DoD systems engineering standards and lifecycle processes.
• Executing qualification campaigns against MIL-STD-810 environments.
• Prior experience as a SEIT Lead, Systems IPT Lead, or similar systems engineering leadership role.
• Familiarity with earned value management (EVM) and providing credible estimates and status for systems engineering and test scope.
• Familiarity with Northrop Grumman processes and demonstrated success through proposals, BOE generation, program start up, and major technical reviews.

 

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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.