Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!
We are looking for you to join our team as Test Engineer Level 2/3 based out of Sunnyvale, CA. In this role at Northrop Grumman you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to be a part of our Enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of automation.
The rotating machinery team within the Systems Integration and Test group is seeking an innovative, self-driven Test Engineer Level 2/3 to join our dynamic, multifaceted team. Your mission will be to ensure that our propulsion and power generation equipment meets the stringent testing requirements for our nation’s newest submarines and aircraft carriers.
What You’ll get to Do:
In this role, you will have the opportunity to accomplish system-level tests of our turbine-generators and gear-driven propulsion units—from integrating data-acquisition systems and programming automation routines to acquiring and analyzing data, controlling test conduct and writing procedures and reports. You will learn about the technologies that make our power-generation and propulsion systems unique, gaining valuable insight to ensure our tested products are assets our nation’s service members can trust.
The role requires 12.5 hour shifts to support 24/7 system-level test campaigns in our factory and will include night shift support 30-70% of the time. The testing work schedule may span two or three months continuously. Although the workload may sound intense, we do offer flexibility in taking paid time off and compensate for all additional hours worked on shift during testing campaigns. If this type of work aligns to your strengths and goals, then we’d like to hear from you!
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on the qualifications listed below:
Basic Qualifications for Level 2
- Bachelor's Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math discipline) with 2 years relevant work experience; or Master’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math discipline) with no relevant experience.
- Experience using benchtop instrumentation (e.g. spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters).
- Ability to interpret basic circuit diagrams.
- Must be willing to work night shift 30-70% of the time
- Must be willing to work at field sites as needed.
- US Citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security Clearance.
Basic Qualifications for Level 3
- Bachelor’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math discipline) with 5 years relevant work experience; or Master’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math discipline) with 3 years relevant work experience.
- Experience using benchtop instrumentation (e.g. spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters).
- Ability to interpret basic circuit diagrams.
- Must be willing to work night shift 30-70% of the time
- US Citizenship required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security Clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering Industry experience related to testing and troubleshooting
- Experience troubleshooting analog or high-voltage circuitry
- Programming and/or automation experience (e. g. MATLAB, Python, C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, and LabVIEW)
- PLC programming experience (e.g. Allen Bradley)
- Experience testing rotating machinery
- Acoustics, dynamics, or control-systems testing experience
- Experience using multi-channel data acquisition (DAQ) systems
- Experience testing large structures
- Systems-Engineering experience
- Military Experience (Navy experience a plus)
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in STEM with 2 years relevant experience or Master's in STEM with no experience (Level 2)
- Bachelor's degree in STEM with 5 years relevant experience or Master's in STEM with 3 years relevant experience (Level 3)
- Experience using benchtop instrumentation (spectrum analyzers, digital multimeters)
- Ability to interpret basic circuit diagrams
- Must be willing to work night shift 30-70% of the time (12.5-hour shifts for 24/7 campaigns)
- Must be willing to work at field sites as needed
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance
- Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Aerospace Engineering
- Industry experience related to testing and troubleshooting rotating machinery
- Experience troubleshooting analog or high-voltage circuitry
- Programming and automation experience (MATLAB, Python, C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, LabVIEW)
- PLC programming experience (e.g., Allen Bradley)
- Experience with multi-channel data acquisition (DAQ) systems
- Acoustics, dynamics, or control-systems testing experience
- Experience testing large structures
- Systems-engineering experience
- Military experience (Navy experience a plus)
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.





