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.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) has an immediate opportunity for a Sr. Principal Chief Engineer, supporting the Mission Systems organization. This is role encompassing technical competency, and team leadership. This position is in Apopka, FL. This position is to support and lead engineering design, integration, test, and production of laser and optical systems for handheld, ground, and airborne products.
This candidate will demonstrate a broad skill set that is balanced between interpersonal, leadership, and technical capabilities. The direct program responsibilities may include mission engineering, system architecture development, requirements development/management, system design/analysis, modeling & simulation, model-based systems engineering, IPT/product owner leadership, integration and test, specialties engineering, or other appropriate technical functions. They must be a self-starter, able to efficiently operate in a team environment, and collaborate across the sector’s business areas as required to accomplish the team goals. The candidate will work closely with other engineers across multiple disciplines.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Lead and direct cross-functional engineering teams during proposal, design, manufacturing, and delivery phases of products in development and production phases
- Develop and execute project budgets and schedules, including Earned Value Management System (EVMS), critical path management, Estimates-at-Completion (EACs), and workload forecasts
- Interface with functional departments to secure team staffing
- Work with suppliers and be able to articulate project requirements
- Brief internal and customer leadership on progress of work assigned
- Support writing technical specifications, Statements of Work (SOWs), design reviews (e.g. SRR, SDR, PDR, CDR, TRR TIMs, etc.) and capture/proposal activities.
- Develop and maintain relationships with internal and external customers, homerooms and sectors.
- Develop proposal inputs and review proposal content for both internal and external customers.
- Lead or support department initiatives, technology roadmap creation, cross-campus/sector involvement, and IRAD project leadership.
Basic Qualifications:
- 8+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields; OR 6 years of relevant experience with a Master’s Degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields.
- Experience as technical lead, Integrated Product Team Lead, or other leadership role in a program office or business function with demonstrated team building, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated technical leadership skills, decisiveness, and ability to make sound technical judgments with limited information.
- Experience in systems development, integration, and test of complex EO/IR or electronic systems
- U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a minimum of a Department of Defense (DoD) Secret Security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience as an Engineering Program Manager, Integrated Product Team (IPT) lead, and/or Chief Engineer
- Fluency with developing and executing project schedules
- Experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) on DoD projects
- Experience in design development of Optical, Imager, Laser Rangefinder, Laser Designator, Electronic Warfare, Military, or Space Technologies
- Active Secret Clearance
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field with 8+ years of relevant experience
- Master’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field with 6+ years of relevant experience
- Experience as a technical lead, Integrated Product Team Lead, or similar leadership role
- Demonstrated team-building, organizational, interpersonal, technical leadership, decisiveness, and judgment skills
- Experience in systems development, integration, and testing of complex EO/IR or electronic systems
- U.S. citizenship
- Ability to obtain and maintain a minimum Department of Defense Secret security clearance
- Experience as an Engineering Program Manager, IPT Lead, and/or Chief Engineer
- Fluency developing and executing project schedules
- Experience as a Control Account Manager on Department of Defense projects
- Experience designing optical, imager, laser rangefinder, laser designator, electronic warfare, military, or space technologies
- Active Secret clearance
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.






