Consulting Chief Engineer - Advanced Aircraft

Northrop Grumman Corporation; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 212,000 - 318,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems invites applications for a Consulting Chief Engineer in the Future Aircraft OU, located in Redondo Beach or El Segundo, CA. Lead a multidisciplinary team delivering R&D for next‑gen air vehicle technologies and autonomous platforms across diverse flight regimes and mission areas.

Requirements include a STEM degree with extensive related experience (MS/PhD optional), active Secret clearance (or higher) with potential SAP/TS/SCI, and travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline with 16 years of related experience; OR MS with 14 years; OR PhD with 12 years.
• Experience in air vehicle conceptual design, vehicle tech development, or prototype testing.
• Experience coordinating across multiple business units, industry partners, and customers.
• Active US Government Secret clearance or higher (with recent background investigation) and ability to obtain SAP/TS/SCI.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for the operating unit and provide direction to activities.
• Define and control technical requirements; ensure cross-project coordination.
• Interface with customer and senior company leadership.
• Ensure programs follow engineering principles and company policies.
• Mentor technical contributors in systems engineering methods.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Master's in STEM

PhD in STEM

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

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 Aeronautics Systems – Research & Advanced Design (R&AD) transforms breakthrough ideas into mission-ready capabilities through intelligent anticipation. We’re the front-end design engine, defining what comes next. From developing cutting‑edge next‑generation future aircraft to trailblazing collaborative autonomous platforms, we push the boundaries of technology and forge industry‑leading partnerships that set new standards for what’s possible. Our team owns the full lifecycle of advanced concept creation, from visionary early‑stage designs and rapid prototyping to high-impact demonstrations and solving the toughest technical challenges in survivability, autonomy, and battle management. We seek curious, adaptable people who thrive on turning intuition into breakthrough solutions. If you’re driven to invent the future, build what’s next, and shape the landscape of national security, this is where you belong.

Consulting Chief Engineer – Future Aircraft Operating Unit (OU)

R&AD has an opening for a Consulting Chief Engineer to join our Future Aircraft Operating Unit (OU) located in Redondo Beach or El Segundo, CA. In this role, the successful candidate will lead a multi‑disciplinary engineering team executing research & development projects within the Future Aircraft OU. This team conceives, develops, demonstrates, and transitions cutting‑edge new air vehicle technologies, aircraft designs, and air weapons systems concepts. Activities within the OU span the spectrum from applied research through flying experimental prototypes, spanning a broad range of flight regimes and mission applications including air mobility, air combat, ISR, and reusable hypersonics.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for the OU, providing technical direction and leadership to internally funded and contracted activities.
• Serve as the focal point for definition and control of technical requirements, and ensure technical coordination and horizontal integration across projects.
• Serve as the principal technical interface with the customer and company senior leadership.
• Ensure that programs adhere to sound engineering principles and comply with relevant company policies, procedures, and quality standards.
• Oversee and ensure technical performance measures are being met by the Engineering team within allocated cost and schedule resources.
• Serve as the chairperson of the Technical Review Board (TRB).
• Support program managers in risk and opportunity management by identifying and owning risks associated with technical performance.
• Provide technical leadership, direction and mentoring to technical contributors in the application of systems engineering principles, tools, and techniques to achieve practical end results.

Qualifications

• Basic Qualifications: Bachelor of Science degree in a relevant Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline and 16 years related professional/military experience; OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 14 years of related professional/military experience; OR a Ph.D. in a related STEM discipline and 12 years of related professional/military experience.
• Professional experience related to air vehicle conceptual design, vehicle technology development and demonstration, or aircraft prototype development and experimental testing.
• Experience integrating multiple engineering specialties and experience working across multiple Business Units within a company, as well as with industry partners and customer community.
• Active US Government Secret clearance or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain SAP and TS / SCI Clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active DoD Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance, one or more SAP clearances.
• Familiarity with US Government customer community in one or more relevant areas.
• Experience across multiple phases of program lifecycle, including business development, business acquisition, research & development, production and sustainment.
• Experience as a Chief Engineer or technical lead with the planning and execution of technical design and integration tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all technical requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in making sound decisions in uncertain, ambiguous or difficult situations.
• Excellent organizational and written communication skills, as well as project management planning and presentation skills.

Compensation and Benefits

• Primary Level Salary Range: $212,100.00 - $318,100.00. 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.
• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.