Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking an experienced Test Engineer to support our Armament Systems site in Plymouth, MN.
This site develops and produces medium and large-caliber ammunition as well as precision capabilities for direct and indirect fire systems. Leading the industry, this team successfully completes lifecycle support for medium-caliber cannons, develops miniature, precision strike weapons for airborne platforms, creates survivability solutions for soldiers and the next generation tactical ammunition for a variety of combat platforms.
Responsibilities:
- Ensure product quality by creating production test equipment for military/aerospace products. Includes programming, debugging, and deploying into production equipment that adjusts, calibrates and certifies device specifications.
- Design, develop, and implement cost-effective methods of testing for Design Verification (DVT).
- Maintain and update test equipment supporting functional board level and final acceptance testers.
- Understand the functionality of several products to reduce test time or suggest additional tests.
- Participate in design reviews and design for testability.
- Assist with fixture fabrication and ordering of parts and managing suppliers.
- Prepare test and diagnostic programs, design test fixtures, instrument racks and equipment.
- Compile data and define changes required in test equipment, test procedures, manufacturing processes, or test requirements.
- Understand product requirements to select sensors and instrumentation to create a full test strategy.
- Function as liaison between Design Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to ensure that innovative new product designs can be manufactured cost effectively with high quality. Perform Design for Testability and coverage analysis.
- Understand customer requirements documentation and translate to test cases for DVT and production test.
Basic Qualifications:
This position may be filled as a Test Engineer level 2 or level 3 as it relates to the candidate’s level of education and/or years of experience.
Qualifications for Test Engineer (Level 2)
- Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or STEM discipline plus 2 years of professional experience in building and maintaining automated test equipment (ATE). Or master’s degree plus 0 experience.
- Must be a US citizen.
- Ability to obtain and maintain government secret clearance after starting employment.
- 1-2 years of experience in LabVIEW programming language.
- Read/understand schematics, understand embedded software and communication protocols.
- Digital and Analog Electronics experience to design circuitry for signal conditioning and isolation.
- Knowledge in Electrical and Functional Testers with: Interfaces, Pneumatic Systems, Communication protocols, PXI and GPIB instruments test platforms
- Work on-site with flexible work arrangement. Able to travel 10% of time (domestic).
- Solid communication skills and ability to clearly establish verbal communication with remote audience.
- Ability to manage multiple & concurrent tasks.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, team-oriented, self-motivated, leadership.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with cross-functional team members.
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment that is fast paced, rapidly changing, short turn-around environment.
Qualifications for Principal Test Engineer (Level 3)
- Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or STEM discipline plus 5 years of professional experience in building and maintaining automated test equipment (ATE). Or master’s degree plus 3 years of experience.
- Must be a US citizen.
- Ability to obtain and maintain government secret clearance after starting employment.
- 1-2 years of experience in LabVIEW programming language.
- Read/understand schematics, understand embedded software and communication protocols.
- Digital and Analog Electronics experience to design circuitry for signal conditioning and isolation.
- Knowledge in Electrical and Functional Testers with: Interfaces, Pneumatic Systems, Communication protocols, PXI and GPIB instruments test platforms
- Work on-site with flexible work arrangement. Able to travel 10% of time (domestic).
- Solid communication skills and ability to clearly establish verbal communication with remote audience.
- Ability to manage multiple & concurrent tasks.
- Excellent problem-solving skills, team-oriented, self-motivated, leadership.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with cross-functional team members.
- Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment that is fast paced, rapidly changing, short turn-around environment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering is highly desired.
- Experience with high-volume device assembly and PCB fabrication practices.
- Experience designing test fixtures and product testing under high and low temperatures extremes.
- Green belt or experienced use of Six Sigma tools: DOE, R&R, MSE, DFSS is preferred.
- Experience in ICT programming or board-level testing (Keysight i3070 preferable).
- PWB layout and design experience.
- C++ and OOP experience.
- Vision systems experience.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or STEM discipline (Level 2: +2 years experience; Level 3: +5 years experience) or equivalent
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Ability to obtain and maintain government Secret clearance after starting employment
- Experience building and maintaining automated test equipment (ATE)
- 1-2 years experience with LabVIEW programming
- Ability to read and understand schematics, embedded software, and communication protocols
- Digital and analog electronics experience for designing signal conditioning and isolation circuitry
- Knowledge of electrical and functional testers, interfaces, pneumatic systems, PXI and GPIB instrument test platforms
- Ability to prepare test and diagnostic programs, design test fixtures, instrument racks, and equipment
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent tasks and communicate clearly with cross-functional and remote teams
- Work on-site (Plymouth, MN) with flexible work arrangement and ability to travel approximately 10% (domestic)
- Excellent problem-solving skills; team-oriented, self-motivated with leadership capability
- Master's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering
- Experience with high-volume device assembly and PCB fabrication practices
- Experience designing test fixtures and product testing under high and low temperature extremes
- Green Belt or experienced use of Six Sigma tools (DOE, R&R, MSE, DFSS)
- Experience in ICT programming or board-level testing (Keysight i3070 preferred)
- PWB layout and design experience
- C++ and object-oriented programming experience
- Vision systems experience
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.



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