Systems Engineer Level 5 - Program Engineering Lead

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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 Launch Systems Division is hiring a Systems Engineer Level 5 – Program Engineering Lead, located in Chandler, Arizona.

Role Overview:

You will be responsible for engineering execution including the technical, cost, and schedule performance of engineering scope.  You will collaborate with the engineering groups to understand and implement the program goals to support overall program success.  You will work with your team leads to understand risks, drive technical solutions and identify and execute risk mitigation activities.  You will monitor engineering performance (milestones, staffing, earned value) and lead variance analysis and recovery planning with Program Management and Business Management.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience interacting with diverse teams, communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and operating successfully within both classified and unclassified environments.

What You’ll Get To Do:

As the Program Engineering Lead, you will:

• Lead a High-Performing Team: Coordinate an engineering team in a high-visibility and fast-paced program environment. Collaborate with diverse groups including Engineering Leads, Program Management, Manufacturing, and Mission Assurance teams.
• Solve Complex Challenges and Launch Targets: Apply your organizational and technical problem-solving skills to ensure successful hardware deliveries as well as serve as the vehicle manager during launch campaigns.
• Communicate at all Levels: Provide technical leadership and support for internal and external executive briefings, including program updates, engineering reviews, and risk management discussions.
• Maintain High Standards: Thrive in a high-expectation environment, demonstrating initiative, meticulous attention to detail, and polished verbal and written communication skills.

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership and Team Management:

• Serve as the technical and leadership authority for the engineering team, delivering on challenging performance, schedule, and cost objectives.
• Engage, inspire, and guide cross-functional teams to achieve program milestones, ensuring clear communication and strong alignment across all stakeholders.
• Proactively manage team assignments, workloads, mentorship, and collaboration across internal teams and external partnerships.
• Lead long-range hardware development planning to support technology maturation and new capability development, ground and flight test activities, and software qualification and deployment.

Stakeholder Management and Communication:

• Serve as the primary technical interface for internal and external stakeholders, preparing and delivering clear communication on risks, trade-offs, decisions, and successes.
• Partner with internal program management and external stakeholders to align technical requirements and delivery schedules with program milestones.
• Foster collaborative, trust-based relationships with internal and external partners to maintain alignment and ensure mission success.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience, master's degree with 10 years of experience or Ph.D. with 8 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must have an active DoD Secret security clearance.
• Demonstrated multi-disciplinary engineering leadership on complex hardware/ software integrated systems.
• Proven experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) or equivalent role, responsible for scope, cost, and schedule.
• Working knowledge and practical application of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles and metrics (e.g., CPI, SPI, variance analysis).
• Experience leading or co-leading Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) or cross-functional technical teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing and delivering technical presentations to internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience with missile systems or other launch/flight vehicles (e.g., tactical or strategic missiles, interceptors, sounding rockets, or space launch).
• Familiarity with range and range safety requirements, processes, and interfaces (e.g., Eastern/Western Range, flight safety analyses, flight termination systems).
• Experience supporting or leading missile launches, including pre-launch integration, test, countdown, and post-flight assessment.
• Background in mission planning and mission execution for missile or launch systems, including trajectory design, constraints, and operational considerations.
• Experience with integration & test (I&T) of complex flight hardware and software, including hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) and system-level testing.
• Knowledge of requirements development and management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama) and configuration management practices.
• Familiarity with government and industry standards relevant to missile and launch systems (e.g., MIL-STDs, range safety directives, flight safety criteria).

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards 

Primary Level Salary Range: $152,900.00 - $229,300.00

The 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.