Principal / Sr. Principal Systems Engineer

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
• CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
• 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 Defense Systems is seeking a Principal / Sr. Principal Systems Engineer (level 3/4) to join the Strategic Mobile Command and Control (SMC2) organization in Huntsville AL. You will help design, develop, integrate, test, and sustain mission‑critical architectures and network and recording products used by our warfighters and customers around the world. In this role, you will support the Base Operations Networks (BONEs) programs that support network infrastructure and services at tactical operational locations.

Key Responsibilities

• Co-leading cross-functional team meetings, including recurring PM Staff, PM Staff status, weekly meetings with the Customer, technical meetings for internal bi-weekly or weekly technical development focusing on cost, schedule and performance
• Collaborating with other Integrated Product Team (IPT) leads and interfacing with Customer and Program Leadership to ensure the program satisfies all Engineering requirements
• Leading ad- hoc and standing working group Engineering meetings
• Serving as Configuration Control Board (CCB) Chair Alternate providing interface for U.S. Government (USG) Stakeholders and disposition on hardware drawings, network configurations and software versions
• Developing, tracking and maintaining Engineering priorities and milestones for planning, design, procurement, training, integration and deployment of network, recording and warning equipment
• Working with the Integration and Test IPTs to ensure the BONEs system(s) are built and tested to the appropriate requirements
• Developing staffing for events and ensuring hardware/software baselines and equipment are mission ready
• Reviewing program plans, procedures, reports, drawings, and other documentation for completeness, accuracy, and quality
• Supporting development, evaluation, verification, and validation of system design changes, ranging from minor system fixes to large-scale system capability changes
• Assisting Engineering responses and inputs to requests for proposal (RFPs), bases of estimate (BOEs), technical volumes, and statements of work
• Communicating and executing Cost Account Manager (CAM) functions impacting staffing, budgeting and forecasting

Basic Qualifications

• Principal Systems Engineer: 5 years of experience with a STEM Bachelor's Degree; 3 years with a Master's, 1 year with PhD
• Sr. Principal Systems Engineer: 8 years of experience with a STEM Bachelor's degree, 6 years with a Master's, 4 with PhD
• Active DoD Secret Clearance
• Experience operating in an Agile environment using any of the Atlassian software tool sets (JIRA, CONFLUENCE...etc.)
• Ability to work on-site in Huntsville
• Minimum 15% travel with potential for travel Outside the Continental United States (OCONUS)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Sense and Warn & Intercept (SnW&I) and Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) architectures and Northrop Grumman products
• Experience with Lucen Timeline (formerly Office Timeline) or MS Project
• Experience developing milestone schedules
• Experience with customer-facing roles and leading a multi-discipline team
• Experience developing trade studies, system requirements reviews (SRRs), preliminary design reviews (PDRs), and critical design reviews (CDRs)
• Experience writing test reports

Primary Level Salary Range

$98,400.00 - $163,200.00

Secondary Level Salary Range

$122,800.00 - $203,600.00

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.