2026 Associate Design Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corp.; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

401k

Educational Assistance

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Li

Paid Time Off

Health & Wellness Resources

Employee Discounts

Flexible Schedules

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking an Associate Design Engineer for our Space sector in Dulles, VA. The role focuses on designing major components and assemblies, coordinating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring manufacturability and cost efficiency. A strong foundation in engineering and the ability to obtain a U.S.

government security clearance are required. The position offers growth in a mission-driven environment with advanced space systems and opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (or related field) OR 4+ years of relevant experience.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance are requirements.
• Ability to obtain Special Access Program access as determined by the company.

Responsibilities

• Design major components or portions of a functional system to develop or improve products and facilitate manufacturing operations.
• Develop basic data and preliminary layouts, sketches, and notes for design proposals.
• Investigate design factors such as manufacturability, materials, interchangeability and cost.
• Coordinate with other organizations affected by design development.
• Create layouts of complex assemblies and details of devices, mechanisms, and structures.
• Check layouts and drawings for clarity, standards conformity, and calculation accuracy.
• Identify design errors and recommend revisions to responsible engineers.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or 4+ years of relevant experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

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 is a space pioneer, supporting government, civil and commercial customers in solving their biggest challenges. Our forward-leaning, innovative spirit is backed by a legacy of expertise that began at the dawn of the space age. Our mission experience in space runs deep, we know our customers well, and our capabilities are unmatched. This is what allows us to provide reliable, agile and affordable space solutions to best serve our customers.

From defending freedom to advancing human discovery, we are defining what is possible in space every day.

Entry Level opportunities at Northrop Grumman are unique. Are you interested in boosting your knowledge through experience and exposure, while supporting a mission that seeks to protect our nation and its allies? If so, then Northrop Grumman is the place you!

Our professionals live and breathe different perspectives; we are curious about the world, accepting each other, and aware that the more ideas, backgrounds, opinions and experiences we bring to our work, the stronger that work will be. Just as you would invest your time and hard work into our company, we focus on investing back into you through enriching professional experiences and high-quality learning and development opportunities. We want you to bring your whole self to work, and for you to have meaningful connections with your coworkers, customers and communities, while providing the best products, systems and technologies to protect our world.

Northrop Grumman is seeking an Associate Design Engineer. This position will be located at our Space sector in Dulles, VA.

In this role, the selected candidate will be expected to:

• Designs major components or major portions of a functional system to develop or improve products and facilitate manufacturing operations.
• Develops basic data and makes preliminary layouts, sketches, and notes necessary to present design proposal.
• Investigates pertinent design factors such as ease of manufacture, availability of materials and equipment, interchangeability, replace ability, strength-weight efficiency, and contractual specification requirements and cost.
• Coordinates with other organizations affected by design development.
• Makes layouts of complex assemblies and details parts of devices, mechanisms, and structures.
• Checks completed layouts and drawings for clarity, completeness, conformity to standards, procedures, specifications, and accuracy of calculations and dimensioning.
• Identifies design errors, omissions, and other deficiencies, and recommends revisions and/or improvements in design layout to responsible engineers or designers.

Basic Qualifications for Associate Design Engineer:

• 4+ years of relevant experience in lieu of Bachelor’s degree OR a Bachelor's degree.
• Be able to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite).
• The ability to obtain Special Access Program within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced user in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space.

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site: Northrop Grumman Total Rewards

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for:

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• Health & Wellness Resources
• Employee Discounts
• Flexible Schedules: for example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work.

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.