Systems Engineering Manager 2 – MSE&A / Mission Engineering

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.

We’re seeking a Systems Engineering Manager 2 to lead and elevate our Mission Engineering (ME) and Modeling, Simulation, Experimentation & Analysis (MSE&A) capabilities in support of evolving mission needs. This is a dual role that combines technical project execution with people leadership, focused on delivering credible, mission-focused systems solutions and will be 100% on site at our Linthicum, MD location. 

What You’ll Get to Do: 

As a key member of our Foundational Systems team, you will apply performance-driven Mission Engineering concepts to analyze, architect, and optimize system-of-systems solutions that address tomorrow’s mission challenges. You will foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, ensuring your team is equipped to solve complex problems using advanced MSE&A techniques.

Functional & People Leadership:

• Balance approximately 80% allocation to technical/programmatic work and 20% to functional management activities.

• Lead, develop, and manage a team of engineers supporting ME and MSE&A initiatives.

• Provide engineering staffing to programs.

• Support Compensation planning.

• Provide performance management and career development for direct reports.

• Foster a culture of well-being, inclusion, and high performance.

• Support hiring, onboarding, compensation planning, and skills/career development.

• Manage workload forecasting and drive continuous improvement efforts.

• Mentor both senior and junior staff to build the next generation of MSE&A professionals.

• Maintain and apply engineering processes, tools, and standards.

• Develop relationships with internal and external stakeholders, fostering sector-wide collaboration.

• Review proposal content, develop department initiatives, and drive technology roadmaps.

Technical & Project Leadership:

• Oversee and execute Mission Engineering MSE&A activities across a diverse program portfolio.

• Lead or support department initiatives, technology roadmap creation, cross-campus/sector involvement, and internal research and development (IRAD) project leadership. 

• Apply Mission Engineering practices to drive solution architecting, system trade studies, and analysis-of-alternatives at the mission/system-of-systems level.

• Evaluate system architectures, CONOPS, and Design Reference Missions (DRM), using government off-the-shelf (GOTS) and in-house simulation frameworks.

• Link system requirements to mission outcomes by analyzing mission threads, demonstrating effects, and optimizing architectures.

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure integrated solutions meet mission requirements.

• Support proposal development, technical reviews, and adherence to engineering processes.

• Architect tools or ecosystems that aggregate and visualize large-scale simulation data.

• Unify technical solutions across disciplines and product lines to meet organizational and program objectives.

• Build and strengthen customer and cross-agency relationships, representing technical capabilities externally.

• Propagate Mission Engineering and MSE&A best practices across programs, championing new tool and process adoption.

This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active U.S Government Secret Clearance and approval of Special Program Access (SAP). 

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 8 years of experience, a Master's degree with 6 years of experience, or a PhD with 4 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineer, or Mathematics or other related technical fields.

• U.S Citizenship is required.

• An active U.S Government Secret Clearance.

• Ability to obtain and/or maintain Special Program Access. 

• 1 year of experience in people management or leading engineering teams/IPTs.

• Demonstrated experience in Mission Engineering, Modeling, Simulation, Experimentation & Analysis (MSE&A), or systems engineering applied to mission-level solutions in defense/aerospace.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or other related technical fields. 

• Active U.S Government Top Secret Clearance or higher. 

• Experience leading functional or programmatic teams of 10+ engineers.

• Proficiency in performance-based analysis, system trades, and architecture studies with mission modeling, simulation, experimentation & analysis frameworks (e.g., C++, Python, AFSIM, STK, Brawler, etc.).

• Experience linking technical/operational requirements to mission outcomes.

• Familiarity with DoD developmental testing, acquisition principles, and integration & test processes.

• Strong technical problem-solving skills; ability to diagnose performance issues and translate mission needs into actionable engineering approaches.

• Knowledge of Agile/SAFe, EVMS, CAM, or similar methodologies.

• Demonstrated ability to innovate and drive improvements across mission engineering products and processes.

• Experience architecting environments and tools for large-scale simulation data aggregation and visualization.

• Proven record of unifying technical solutions across product lines and guiding technical alignment.

• Experience building and maintaining customer trust, including representing technical capabilities to customers and inter-agency partners.

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family. 

Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more! 

Northrop Grumman has approximately 90,000 employees in all 50 states and in more than 27 countries. We strive to attract and retain the best employees by providing an inclusive work environment wherein employees are receptive to diverse ideas, perspectives, and talents to help solve our toughest customer challenges: to develop and maintain some of the most technically sophisticated products, programs, and services in the world. 

Our Values. The women and men of Northrop Grumman Corporation are guided by Our Values. They describe our company as we want it to be. We want our decisions and actions to demonstrate these Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates long-term benefits for shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve. 

Our Responsibility. At Northrop Grumman, we are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, embracing diversity and inclusion, protecting the environment, and striving to be an ideal corporate citizen in the community and in the world.
 

Primary Level Salary Range: $153,800.00 - $230,800.00

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.