Air Vehicle Engineer - Flight Test Integration

Northrop Grumman; Edwards (CA); On-site; USD 114,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO

Shift differential

Bonus potential

Job summary

Northrop Grumman at Edwards AFB, CA seeks an Air Vehicle Engineer to lead integrated test scheduling and program planning within a Combined Test Force. You will work with multiple test disciplines to plan flight science, subsystems, and mission testing on developmental aircraft.

The role reports to the Flight Test Integration Senior Manager. Requirements include a STEM degree, 5+ years (or 3+ with a Master’s) and active DoD clearance with SAP eligibility; travel and overtime may be needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM field with 5+ years of related experience or a Master’s with 3+ years.
• Active US Government Secret clearance or eligibility; SAP clearance possible.
• Overtime, odd-hour shifts, and weekend support may be required.
• Experience as a Test Engineer or Test Conductor in aeronautical settings.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate test scheduling and program planning for air vehicle tests.
• Decompose program strategy into tasks for engineers, maintainers and operators.
• Develop and publish integrated test asset schedules and track milestones.
• Identify risks and dependencies to scheduled test execution.
• Provide configuration requirements for each event to maintenance and test ops.
• Manage IMS updates and change packages with program leadership.

Skills

Secret clearance

SAP clearance eligibility

Test engineering

Aeronautical engineering

Education

Bachelor of Science in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: SAP

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.

The Flight Test Operations Team (FTO) is seeking a highly qualified Air Vehicle Engineer (AVE) to lead integrated test scheduling and program planning at Edwards AFB, CA.

The Air Vehicle Engineer will report to the Flight Test Integration Senior Manager and work with multiple test disciplines in a Combined Test Force (CTF) environment to plan flight science, subsystems, and mission system testing on multiple developmental aircraft.

The AVE will be assigned to a single test asset and will work closely with the corresponding maintenance manager and flight operations commander to develop an integrated test schedule.

Core Responsibilities

• Work closely with program management to ensure that planned testing for air vehicle aligns with the program priorities, flight test strategic plan, and software development plan
• Decompose program strategy into tasks for engineers, maintainers and operators
• Develop, maintain and publish integrated test asset schedules that forecast and track program milestones
• Continually optimize the test schedule by reacting to discoveries and constraints
• Perform integration across test disciplines and program functions to drive engineering solutions, break constraints, and verify requirements
• Identify dependencies and risks to scheduled test execution and mitigate or elevate until resolved
• Provide configuration requirements for each event to maintenance and test operations
• Coordinate Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) updates, change package incorporation, and modification planning with program leadership for assigned test asset

The selected candidate will primarily work 1st shift on a 9/80 schedule (nine‑hour workdays with every other Friday off) and must be willing to travel domestically as required to support testing operations.

This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below.

Basic Qualifications

This position may be filled at either the principal or senior principal aeronautical engineer level depending on the qualifications of the applicant.

Basic Qualifications Principal Aeronautical Engineer

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 5years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 3 years of related professional/military experience.
• Must have an active US Government Secret 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.
• Willingness to work overtime, odd‑hour shifts, and occasional weekends to support test schedules
• Experience as a Test Engineer or Test Conductor that includes test development, planning, and execution
• Experience in a production test or military aircraft maintenance environment
• Experience as a Test Engineer or Test Conductor that includes test development, planning, and execution

Basic Qualifications For a Sr Principal Aeronautical Engineer

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 8years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 6 years of related professional/military experience.
• Must have an active US Government Secret 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.
• Willingness to work overtime, odd‑hour shifts, and occasional weekends to support test schedules
• Experience as a Test Engineer or Test Conductor that includes test development, planning, and execution
• Experience in a production test or military aircraft maintenance environment
• Experience as a Test Engineer or Test Conductor that includes test development, planning, and execution

Preferred Qualifications

• Current active U.S. Government DoD Top Secret clearance
• Active Special Program Access (SAP)
• Experience in a production test or military aircraft maintenance environment
• Capability to comprehend and analyze complex problems and develop solutions
• Proven ability to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams, and bring differing perspectives into sound engineering decisions
• Experience presenting technical briefings to senior leadership, contractors, and customers
• Skilled at setting and revising priorities, providing direction to align tasks and focus effort on achieving project goals

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.

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.