Northrop Grumman is seeking a Sr Staff Systems Engineer (Production All-Up-Round (AUR) Technical Lead, Level 6) for the Anti‑Radiation Guided Missile‑Extended Range (AARGM‑ER) Production program within our Advanced Weapons team.
Position Overview
The AUR Technical Lead will provide overarching engineering leadership for the all-up-round (AUR) missile system, comprised of multiple sections and components assembled from both internal build and external subcontractors, of the AARGM‑ER program. The role, within the AUR Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) IPT, works directly with the program’s Chief Engineer and collaborate with other IPTs to sustain the production cadence, manage technical risks, and deliver mission‑critical capabilities.
The ideal candidate will have experience in the full systems engineering and production lifecycle of missile / weapon system development program(s) and leading at least part of that lifecycle. They will also have the technical depth on multiple subsystems of missile/weapon system, e.g., RF/sensors, guidance, navigation, control, telemetry, aircraft interface, and airframe.
The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility in Northridge, CA. Relocation assistance may be available but is not guaranteed. The travel requirement is expected to be between 10% to 25% on average.
Core Responsibilities (not limited to)
- Provide technical leadership for the AUR, comprised of major sections (i.e., Guidance and Control sections, Rocket Motor, Warhead, Control Actuation Systems) and components (e.g., strakes, cable assembles), directing engineering effort across hardware, software, mechanical, electrical, and material domains.
- Partner with the Integrated Product Team Lead (IPTL) and Cost Account Manager (CAM) by providing technical insight and guidance to ensure that technical risks, trade‑offs, and performance data are incorporated into program‑level decisions on cost, schedule, resource allocation, and overall execution.
- Develop and deliver engineering solutions to a wide range of technical problems and projects affecting the overall system.
- Oversee the creation, updating, and maintenance of requirements, assembly instruction, test plans, test procedures, and post-test assessment tools that support Production Engineering initiatives for the missile system.
- Perform data mining of the failure database (TipQA) and Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) data to identify variability and trends.
- Lead Failure Trend Analysis, Root‑Cause, and Corrective‑Action investigations on AUR failures, interfacing cross-functionally (e.g., operations, quality, hardware, software, and related applications).
- Generate and present technical results and status in visual graphs for internal and external meetings; interface methodically with team members, supervisors, project leads, and external customers to deliver technical briefings.
- Responsible for applicable systems‑engineering metrics and technical‑performance‑measurement tracking for AUR assembly, integration, and test activities.
- Provide Technical support to the IPTL as they partner with Global Supply Chain to manage the technical, schedule, cost, and quality of missile components/sections from subcontractors for AUR.
- Collaborate with Technical Leads on sections/subsystem (e.g., Guidance and Control Sections) for the management of assembly, integration, and test for AUR build
- Collaborate cross-programs to keep up to date on product baseline and technical updates within the product line.
Basic Qualifications for Senior Staff Systems Engineer – Level 6:
- Bachelor of Science in an engineering discipline and a minimum of (14) years of engineering experience; or a Master of Science in an engineering discipline and a minimum of (12) years of engineering experience, or PhD and 10 years
- Experience in technical baseline management of subcontractor design development and delivery for a production-phase program
- Demonstrated technical depth on multiple subsystems of missile/weapon system, e.g., RF/sensors, guidance, navigation, control, telemetry, aircraft interface, propulsion, and airframe
- Experience in technical leadership in design, development, and production of complex system leading teams of 10 or more for the collaboration with customers, end users, and cross-functional teams (e.g., engineering, contracts, supply chain)
- Experience with configuration management and product‑life‑cycle‑management tools within production process and the management of assembly, integration, and test of complex system
- Experience with root‑cause‑correction‑action processes and execution that results in product baseline or process update
- Current Government Secret security clearance adjudicated within the past 5 years and ability to obtain and maintain program access request (PAR)
Preferred Qualifications for Senior Staff Systems Engineer – Level 6:
- Experience in production process and the management of assembly, integration, and test of missile system
- Experience in yield improvement initiatives and development that positively impacted production performance
- Experience in production sustainment and upgrade cut-in efforts
- Experience in leveraging digital engineering / artificial intelligence for production efficiency / quality improvement
- Demonstrated analytical thinking, problem solving skills, and creativity to perform in dynamic and multi-threaded environment
- Experience in mentoring and providing career development coaching to junior members
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in an engineering discipline and 14 years experience; OR Master of Science and 12 years experience; OR PhD and 10 years experience.
- Current Government Secret security clearance adjudicated within the past 5 years and ability to obtain and maintain program access request (PAR).
- Experience in technical baseline management of subcontractor design development and delivery for a production-phase program.
- Demonstrated technical depth on multiple missile/weapon subsystems (RF/sensors, guidance, navigation, control, telemetry, aircraft interface, propulsion, airframe).
- Technical leadership experience in design, development, and production of complex systems, including leading teams of 10 or more and cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience with configuration management and product lifecycle management tools within production processes.
- Experience in assembly, integration, and test management of complex systems in production.
- Experience with root-cause, corrective-action processes and execution that resulted in product or process updates.
- Ability to work full-time on-site at the Northridge, CA facility.
- Willingness/ability to travel approximately 10% to 25% of the time.
- Experience performing data mining of failure databases and Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) data to identify trends and variability.
- Experience with generating and presenting technical results and status to internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience partnering with supply chain and cost/accounting leads to inform technical, schedule, and cost decisions.
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
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