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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to join our team of diverse, qualified individuals in our Systems Engineering organization. This role may be located in Rancho Bernardo, CA, El Segundo, CA, or Palmdale, CA.
In this role, you will apply the full systems engineering lifecycle—from concept and requirements definition through integration, verification & validation (V&V), and delivery. You will have regular interaction with customers and leadership, including preparation and delivery of technical briefings.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
- Apply the full systems engineering lifecycle, including Concept development and system definition, Requirements development, decomposition, and allocation, Interface definition and management, Integration, verification, and validation planning and execution
- Develop Verification & Validation (V&V) strategies and plans, including Requirement Verification Plans and System Test & Verification Plans.
- Work closely with test and specialty engineering teams to ensure test procedures correctly interpret and verify requirements.
- Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for internal and external system interfaces through internal coordination with Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), suppliers, and customers, and through interface working groups.
- Support development and documentation of system architectures and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) working with cross-functional teams to ensure the architecture supports performance, reliability, safety, and maintainability objectives.
- Provide systems engineering input to design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR) and integration/test readiness reviews.
- Prepare and deliver technical briefings to internal leadership and external customers.
Basic Qualifications
- Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 4 years of relevant military / professional experience
- Must have experience across the systems engineering lifecycle, including: Requirements development and decomposition, Requirements management and traceability, Verification & validation planning and execution
- Must have experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, DOORS Next, or similar).
- Must have experience with ICD development and interface definition.
- Must have experience preparing and delivering technical presentations to customers or leadership.
- Must have an active U.S. Government Secret clearance (investigation within the last 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation).
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain subsequent SAP PARs following commencement of employment to be able to completely support statement of work
Preferred Qualifications
- Active USG Top Secret and/or current Special Access/SCI, as required by program.
- Experience supporting major systems engineering milestones (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR).
- Experience with system architecture development, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), and/or CONOPS definition.
- Hands-on experience with HW/SW integration and test, including test procedure development and discrepancy/anomaly resolution.
- Familiarity with Agile development methods and/or CI/CD environments.
- Experience coordinating with suppliers on technical requirements, interfaces, and verification expectations.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant military or professional experience; or a master's degree and 6 years; or a PhD and 4 years
- Experience across the systems engineering lifecycle, including requirements development, decomposition, management, traceability, and verification and validation planning and execution
- Experience with requirements management tools such as DOORS or DOORS Next
- Experience developing Interface Control Documents and defining interfaces
- Experience preparing and delivering technical presentations to customers or leadership
- Active U.S. Government Secret clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret and Special Access Program clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain subsequent SAP PARs after employment begins
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret and/or current Special Access/SCI
- Experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR systems engineering milestones
- Experience with system architecture development, MBSE, and/or CONOPS definition
- Hands-on hardware/software integration and testing, including test procedure development and anomaly resolution
- Familiarity with Agile development methods and/or CI/CD environments
- Experience coordinating with suppliers on technical requirements, interfaces, and verification expectations
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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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
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.





