Consulting Chief Engineer - Survivability

Northrop Grumman; Redondo Beach (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 and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corp. is seeking a Consulting Chief Engineer for the Survivability OU in Redondo Beach/El Segundo, CA.

You will lead a multi‑disciplinary team, guiding R&D projects across RF, IR, visual and acoustic domains to deliver survivability solutions. The role requires a senior engineer with DoD/DoE experience, a strong track record in systems engineering, and collaboration across business units and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM field with extensive related experience.
• Masters or PhD with relevant survivability expertise is preferred.
• Experience across air vehicle survivability, LO design, materials and testing is required.
• Experience with cost and schedule management of complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical authority for Survivability OU, guiding IRAD/CRAD programs.
• Define and control technical requirements; ensure cross-project integration.
• Interface with customer and senior leadership on technical matters.
• Ensure programs follow sound engineering principles and company policies.

Skills

Air Vehicle Survivability

Low Observables design & analysis

Low Observables Materials

Testing

Modeling & Simulation

Mission Systems Integration

Product Support

Education

Bachelor of Science in STEM

Master of Science in STEM

Ph.D. 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

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’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.

R&AD has an opening for a Consulting Chief Engineer to join our Survivability 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 Survivability OU. This team conceives, develops, demonstrates, and transitions cutting‑edge survivability technologies in the radio‑frequency, infra‑red, visual, and acoustic domains. Activities within the OU span the spectrum from basic research through flight test demonstrations. The ideal candidate will play an instrumental role in ensuring Northrop Grumman’s continued industry leadership in Survivability, as exemplified by platforms such as the world’s first sixth generation low observable aircraft.

Primary responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Serve as the technical authority for the OU providing technical guidance and leadership to IRAD and CRAD programs in collaboration with OU leadership
• Serve as the focal point for definition and control of technical requirements, and ensure technical coordination and horizontal integration across projects
• Serve as a 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 as applicable
• Oversee and ensure technical performance measures are being met by the Engineering team; participate in cost and schedule management for Engineering tasks
• 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, guidance and mentoring to technical contributors in the application of systems engineering principles, tools, and techniques to achieve practical end results

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 10 years of related professional/military experience
• Professional experience includes Air Vehicle Survivability, Low Observables design & analysis, Low Observables Materials , Testing, Modeling & Simulation environment/tools, Mission Systems Integration, Product Support
• Professional experience in Cost and Schedule management of complex systems
• Strong collaboration skills with 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 or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)
• Ability to obtain SAP (Special Program Access) and TS / SCI Clearance
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active DoD Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance, one or more SAP clearances
• Professional experience with US Government customer community performing Multi‑Spectral Survivability related research & development
• Professional experience in Survivability focused Programs or Record / Development programs
• Professional experience with SAP infrastructure and architectures.
• 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

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. 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.