Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principle Flight Test Instrumentation Electrical Design Engineer/ Sr. Principle Flight Test Instrumentation Electrical Design Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Test & Evaluation organization.
In this role you will be responsible for the design and integration of a full Flight Test Instrumentation system into a test air vehicle. Design areas will include data capture, system networking, system power supply/distribution, system command/control, and data telemetry via RF systems. You will be responsible for system requirements definition, electrical schematic design, cable assembly design, and equipment trade studies/selection. Duties will also include system operation documentation, equipment air worthiness certification, and regular interface with air vehicle system Responsible Engineers.
The selected candidate with have the technical and soft skills to support the team through all facets of the statement of work from Conceptual Layout Phase, Assembly Layout Phase, PDP Release, fabrication, installation and checkout, through First Flight. You must have strong adherence to PDP release efficiency and first-time quality design standards to support budget and schedule targets. Further, you will collaborate with subsystem responsible engineers, various IPTs, and design stakeholders to ensure PDPs meet requirements for each test article. You will be responsible for maintaining configuration management, engaging in program change boards, and supporting leadership in the identification of technical risks and opportunities.
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.
"This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below"
Basic Qualifications
" This requisition may be filled at either a Sr Principal or a Principal Electrical Design Engineer"
Basic Qualifications Principal Electrical Design Engineer:
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 3 years of related professional/military experience.
Must have an active US Government Secret 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.
Experience using AutoCad Electrical or Siemens Capital to create electrical schematics and cable assemblies
Experience integrating COTS/Custom flight hardware in either a lab or air vehicle environment
Familiarity with common MIL-STD documents such as MIL-STD-1560 & MIL-STD-810
Basic Qualifications Sr Principal Electrical Design Engineer:
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 6 years of related professional/military experience.
Must have an active US Government Secret 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.
Experience using AutoCad Electrical or Siemens Capital to create electrical schematics and cable assemblies
Experience integrating COTS/Custom flight hardware in either a lab or air vehicle environment
Familiarity with common MIL-STD documents such as MIL-STD-1560 & MIL-STD-810
Preferred Qualifications:
3 years of electrical engineering design experience in the test instrumentation discipline
Experience with air vehicle electrical system design
Experience with TTC/Curtiss Wright Data Acquisition Systems for Instrumentation
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline (Master's acceptable) with relevant professional/military experience (Principal: B.S.+5 years or M.S.+3 years; Sr Principal: B.S.+8 years or M.S.+6 years)
- Active US Government Secret clearance (background investigation within past 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation)
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
- Experience using AutoCAD Electrical or Siemens Capital to create electrical schematics and cable assemblies
- Experience integrating COTS/Custom flight hardware in a lab or air vehicle environment
- Familiarity with MIL-STD-1560 and MIL-STD-810
- Electrical engineering design experience in the test instrumentation discipline (3 years)
- Experience with air vehicle electrical system design
- Experience with TTC/Curtiss-Wright Data Acquisition Systems for instrumentation
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.









