Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer. This position is located in Roy, UT..
What You’ll Get To Do:
The Flight Systems Futures team executes the design and development, procurement/manufacturing, and integration & test of novel flight systems across a broad spectrum of applications.
Specific duties to include, but are not limited to the following:
Lead a small team of design and RF engineers from conceptual design to final design for a space based vehicle. Overseeing the execution of HWIL testing and iteratively designing and verifying requirements for the operational configuration.
Attending internal program, customer and/or supplier technical exchange meetings
Support formal program milestone reviews to provide and/or obtain progress status updates.
Working in a fast-paced work environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, and collaborative/team settings across all levels.
Ensure appropriate coordination between electrical and RF design with other integration teams.
Coordinate electrical and RF system engineering content and work products.
Develop Statement of Work (SOWs)/Analysis Data Packages (ADPs)/ Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and take them through the full review and release process.
Review engineering deliverables such as part data sheets, Logical/Electrical ICDs, specifications, link budget analysis and trade studies.
May perform research, trade studies, evaluation, and systems integration analyses for SWaP and cost capability.
Possess strong interpersonal skills to work effectively to understand system level interdependencies that impact electrical requirements and design constraints. Demonstrate leadership principles – Integrity, respect, organizational, communication etc.pocedures, reports).
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelors degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of relevant experience, OR a Masters degree and 6 years of relevant experience, OR a PhD and 4 years of relevant experience.
Must have an active or current Secret clearance at time of application
Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business need.
Experience with Hardware in the Loop and subsystem integration, test, and troubleshooting
Experience reading and interpreting specifications, schematics and block diagrams for complex RF subsystems
Experience with RF hardware and software with the ability to translate system performance and operational capabilities from system requirements
Experience with Digital engineering
Experience with RF test equipment, such as spectrum analyzer, signal generator, Network Analyzers, oscilloscopes
Extensive experience with MATLAB and other scientific programming languages
Experience leading teams, mentoring others, communicating with all levels of an organization internally and externally, being adaptable, creative, collaborative, and comfortable working independently and enjoys solving difficult problems
Experience with RF component selection for program needs via COTS, MOTS, or custom design trade studies
Experience working with vendors and global supply chain
Preferred Qualifications:
HFSS and CST experience is a plus
Telemetry communications link development and analysis
GPS receive system development and C/No analysis
Understanding effects of Plasma on maintaining link and incorporating plasma predictions into link budget analysis
RF system requirements derivation
RF Transmi
Supplier & Partner management
tter and Receiver hardware designHigh Temperature Antenna DesignMATLAB programing skills
Ansys System Tool Kit (STK) skills
Team integration and coordination
“This position is contingent upon contract award"
As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman Space Systems, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:
- Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
- 401k
- Educational Assistance
- Life Insurance
- Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
- Paid Time Off
- Health & Wellness Resources
- Employee Discounts
This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off. This role may offer a competitive relocation assistance package.
Primary Level Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.Skills Required
- Bachelors in STEM +8 years OR Masters +6 years OR PhD +4 years of relevant experience
- Active/current Secret clearance at time of application
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval
- Experience with Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) and subsystem integration, test, and troubleshooting
- Experience reading and interpreting specifications, schematics and block diagrams for complex RF subsystems
- Experience with RF hardware and software and translating system performance from requirements
- Experience with Digital engineering
- Experience with RF test equipment (spectrum analyzer, signal generator, network analyzers, oscilloscopes)
- Extensive experience with MATLAB and other scientific programming languages
- Experience leading teams, mentoring, and communicating across organizational levels
- Experience with RF component selection via COTS/MOTS or custom design trade studies
- Experience working with vendors and global supply chain
- HFSS experience
- CST experience
- Telemetry communications link development and analysis
- GPS receive system development and C/No analysis
- Understanding effects of plasma on link budgets and incorporating predictions
- RF system requirements derivation
- Transmitter and receiver hardware design experience
- High temperature antenna design experience
- Ansys System Tool Kit (STK) skills
- Supplier and partner management experience
- Team integration and coordination 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.








