Test Conductor (Triton MQ4-C)

Posted 14 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Patuxent River, MD, USA
In-Office
83K-155K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Logistics • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
The Role
Perform aircraft and payload test controller operations, sustain and troubleshoot MQ‑4 Triton systems, provide training and field support to Navy units, update technical manuals, execute and review test procedures, perform electrical/RF troubleshooting and depot-level maintenance, and support engineering test requirements during domestic and OCONUS deployments.
Summary Generated by Built In
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Test Conductor/ Principal Test Conductor to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within the Test & Evaluation organization. This role is located in Pax River, MD.

35% Domestic and OCONUS travel expected

This position will be rotate, short-term, between Orbits as needed to backfill existing FSRs US Navy unit and be the system subject matter expert, providing training on the system hardware and software, as well as supporting the sailors in the unit with system operations and troubleshooting. The Navy’s intent is for sailors to be the primary operators and maintainers of the system, with the FSR providing training/assistance as needed to keep the system fully mission capable. The FSR will have reach-back/liaison support from Northrop Grumman Responsible Engineering/Development/Test Engineering teams. 

Responsibilities Include:

  • Interfacing with NGC and customer Flight Engineers, aircraft maintenance Technicians, US Navy service members, and Subsystem SMEs to sustain operations. 
  • Primary interface between Navy maintenance and the Degrader Action Cell (DAC).
  • Vehicle and Payload Test Controller (VTC/PTC) operations during aircraft start-up/shut down for launch and recovery, conduct static ground tests, and troubleshooting.

Essential Functions:  

  • Responsible for providing inputs to update Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMS).
  • Reviews/provides inputs during engineering development and executes Detailed Test Requirements, Acceptance Test Procedures, and Ground Test Plans. 
  • Installs, operates, troubleshoot, maintains, repairs, and modifies equipment, in accordance with IETMS and/or other engineering directives (TDs/ECRs/TEIs/AMRs/MAFs).
  • Perform a variety of Organizational / Depot-level maintenance and technical support on products such as equipment, integrated systems and subsystems, and software at customer and/or field locations.
  • Develop general knowledge of all aircraft systems, VTC/PTC, Engineering Design and software. Perform field integration, troubleshooting, and repair of air vehicle systems at the customer location including operations on a flightline, or in a hangar.  
  • Ability to interpret and trace electrical and Air Vehicle schematics. Perform essential electrical and RF troubleshooting using equipment such as but not limited to: Multimeter, Network/Spectrum Analyzer, Oscilloscope, Time-Domain Reflectometer (TDR), etc.
  • Able to perform/support review and analysis of engineering schematics, supplier design data, support of functional test requirements including acceptance, qualification, and system integration on the Air Vehicle.

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.

 Basic Qualifications for Test Conductor: 

  • Must have a High School Diploma and 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR Bachelor degree AND 2 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 0 years of related professional/military experience.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Test Conductor: 

  • Must have a High School Diploma and 9 years of related professional/military experience, OR Bachelor degree AND 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 1 year of related professional/military experience.

Basic Qualifications for Both Levels:

  • Must have an active US Government 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.
  • Must have the ability to obtain & maintain a Final Top Secret/SCI DoD security clearance at time of application, with eligibility/willingness to submit to a counterintelligence polygraph as required.
  • Experience with Aircraft Ground Test Operations
  • Willingness and ability to successfully complete required training in Pax River, MD and Rancho Bernardo, CA
  • Willingness and ability to accept a long-term international assignment if the need arises due to attrition.  
  • Must have working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel & PowerPoint) and the ability to effectively communicate with various levels of leadership.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with excellent communications skills, including the ability to brief test results to senior leadership.
  • Ability to pass a new hire physical if determined necessary by Company, based on international location selected.

 Preferred Qualifications: 

  • Active in-scope Top Secret/SCI DoD security clearance at time of application, with eligibility/ willingness to submit to a counterintelligence polygraph if/when needed.
  • Previous Unmanned Air Vehicle system test or maintenance experience is highly desired. MQ-4 Vehicle Test Controller or Triton BETTIE operator experience is preferred.
  • Aircraft Test or Lab Test experience is highly desired.
  • Experience with equipment to test and troubleshoot aircraft systems.
  • Experience with loading data and configuration files to aircraft assemblies.

Primary Level Salary Range: $83,400.00 - $125,200.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

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.

Skills Required

  • Education: High School Diploma +6 years related experience OR Bachelor's +2 years OR Master's +0 years (Test Conductor)
  • Education: High School Diploma +9 years related experience OR Bachelor's +5 years OR Master's +1 year (Principal Test Conductor)
  • Active US Government clearance with background investigation within past 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Final Top Secret/SCI DoD security clearance and willingness to submit to counterintelligence polygraph as required
  • Experience with Aircraft Ground Test Operations
  • Willingness and ability to complete required training in Pax River, MD and Rancho Bernardo, CA
  • Willingness and ability to accept a long-term international assignment if needed
  • Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and ability to communicate with leadership
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to brief senior leadership
  • Ability to interpret and trace electrical and air vehicle schematics and perform electrical/RF troubleshooting using multimeter, network/spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope, TDR, etc.
  • Ability to perform organizational/depot-level maintenance and technical support at customer/field locations
  • Ability to pass new hire physical if required by international location
  • Active in-scope Top Secret/SCI DoD security clearance at time of application
  • Previous Unmanned Air Vehicle system test or maintenance experience; MQ-4 Vehicle Test Controller or Triton BETTIE operator experience
  • Aircraft Test or Lab Test experience
  • Experience with equipment to test and troubleshoot aircraft systems
  • Experience loading data and configuration files to aircraft assemblies

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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The Company
HQ: Charlotte, North Carolina
85,636 Employees

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.

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