Principal/Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer (Level 3 or 4)

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
• CLEARANCE TYPE: None
• TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

About the role

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’s Space Sector is seeking a Principal/Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer (Level 3 or 4) to join our MEP organization in Goleta, CA.

Northrop Grumman Mission Enabling Products (MEP) Business Unit designs, builds, and delivers space, defense, and aviation-related systems to customers around the world. Our main products include satellites and associated space components and services, launch vehicles and related propulsion systems, missile products, subsystems and defense electronics, precision weapons, armament systems, and advanced aerospace structures.

Our facility in Goleta, CA specializes in deployable systems for spacecraft such as solar arrays, instrument booms, and various extendible support structures, as well as antennas for space and aerospace applications including satellite communications, radar systems, and electronic warfare (EW).

Learn more about Mission Enabling Products at our website: Mission Enabling Products | Northrop Grumman

The Principal/Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer will be responsible for the design, manufacture, test, and delivery of RF antennas for a variety of applications, serving in a leadership role on a team working across multiple Northrop Grumman locations to deliver communications, radar, and EW systems at the cutting edge of space and aerospace technology. You will own your work from initial iterative studies through the design and analysis phases and may also participate in the manufacturing, testing, and integration of the systems.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following

• Design, develop, and refine antenna components utilizing design skills, hand calculations, 3D design tools, and other modeling tools as needed.
• Generate CAD drawings and related documents, along with RF models, analysis results, and various exports to support system-level analysis.
• Participate in and present at internal and external (customer) design and program reviews.
• Manage and perform manufacturing and testing of a variety of antennas and antenna systems for airborne and space applications.
• Operate and maintain the on-site antenna test facility.
• Document assembly and test plans and procedures.
• Manage and track multiple priorities while maintaining focus on the common goals of the program team, organization, and customers.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written).
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
• Ability to multitask and organize/prioritize job assignments in a fast-paced development environment.

This position can be filled as either Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer or Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer based on the qualifications listed below:

Basic Qualifications – Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of RF microwave, antenna design, or relevant engineering experience; or Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of stated experience; or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 1+ years of stated experience.
• Must be able and willing to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company.
• Demonstrated experience in RF microwave and/or antenna theory, hardware manufacturing, and/or test.
• Prior experience utilizing microwave network analyzers and computer-aided test equipment (e.g., Keysight, National Instruments, far-field and near-field systems).
• Familiarity with RF analysis tools such as HFSS, CST Microwave Studio, GRASP10, and CHAMP.

Basic Qualifications – Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design Engineer

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of RF microwave, antenna design, or relevant engineering experience; or Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of stated experience; or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 4+ years of stated experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a focus in RF.
• Experience with quasi-optical antenna systems and concepts (i.e., frequency-selective surfaces, polarization-selective surfaces, microwave lens design).
• Experience with reflector-based antenna design and analysis.
• Experience with broadband/narrowband feed horn design and analysis.
• Familiarity with mechanical CAD software, preferably PTC Creo and/or NX.
• Experience with data processing algorithms and script writing in Mathcad, MATLAB, and/or Python.
• Experience with space-borne products.
• Experience using Spark3D or other analysis tools to perform multipactor risk assessment.
• Cost Account Management (CAM) experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading a technical team.
• #LosAngelesSpace
• #SpaceEngJobs
• #SpaceSoftwareJobs

Primary Level Salary Range

$114,000.00 - $171,000.00

Secondary Level Salary Range

$142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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.