Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Principal Systems Test Engineer - Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP) Test Lead to join the team of qualified individuals on our Research and Advanced Design organization. This role is located onsite in El Segundo, CA OR Rancho Bernardo, CA.
In this role, the successful candidate will fill the role of the program Test Lead responsible for all facets of the test program, including lab and flight test staffing, planning, execution and reporting. This position requires a highly motivated and self-starting individual with relevant test operations experience. The Test Lead will orchestrate lab, ground and flight integration and developmental testing for NGAS. This is an individual contributor role and will not have direct reports.
Key Responsibilities:
- Ensure engineering tests serve mission objectives and mechanisms are in place to execute the tests
- Reviews status of test requirements, manages schedules, and prepares reports.
- Identify all test and test program risks, issues, and pressures and develop mitigation and closure plans
- Coordinate with ground test engineering and operations, aircraft modifications for testing, frequent interaction with Engineering at Rancho Bernardo, Space Park, El Segundo, and Mojave, and ensuring cost and schedule performance targets are met
- Provide program leadership for test site employees and provide timely resource forecasts to program management, assuring that proper staffing is in place to execute the Test Statement of Work
- Excellent communication skills, experience leading test engineering personnel, and be capable of working in a matrix environment with multiple sources of management guidance.
We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.
Basic Qualifications:
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or 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.
Must have prior CAM and Earned Value Management experience
Must have understanding of program risk, opportunity and issue management process
Preferred Qualifications:
- Current, active Top Secret clearance
- Experience leading a System Test team in a dynamic work environment
- Excellent organizational and written communication skills, as well as project management planning and presentation skills
- Proficient with MS Project, Excel, Power Point, Word
- Demonstrated ability to create trusted relationships
- Experience with Jira and Confluence tools
Skills Required
- STEM degree with required experience (BS +8 years, MS +6 years, or PhD +4 years)
- Active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance with background investigation within past 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
- Prior CAM and Earned Value Management experience
- Understanding of program risk, opportunity, and issue management processes
- U.S. Citizenship (required for positions with government clearance)
- Current active Top Secret clearance
- Experience leading a System Test team in dynamic environment
- Proficiency with MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Word
- Experience with Jira and Confluence tools
- Strong organizational, written communication, and project management 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.








