Engineer Electrical Level 3 - Command & Data Handling - Dulles

Northrop Grumman; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking an early-to-mid-career engineer to support the CDH Subsystem within Space Systems. You will help develop CDH requirements, perform trade studies, identify key components, and contribute to subsystem design and analysis.

You will assist with major design reviews and lead hardware build, integration, test, and on-orbit operations. This role requires strong communication and problem-solving skills to collaborate with other subsystems and deliver solutions to complex

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a STEM field (preferably Electrical Engineering) with 5 years of relevant experience, or 3 years with a Master’s, or a PhD.
• Technical experience in Electrical Systems or C&DH subsystem Engineering.
• Experience with flight hardware development, including MRB, P/M/P, procurement, assembly docs, and EIDP.
• Ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Analyze customer requirements and decompose into hardware and software specs; establish verification plans.
• Evaluate system levels to ensure cohesive electrical-system solutions across lifecycle.
• Coordinate electrical interfaces and develop interconnect diagrams and schematics for flight vehicle programs.

Skills

Electrical Systems

C&DH subsystem Engineering

Flight hardware development

TS/SCI clearance

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in STEM

Tools

DOORS

CAMEO

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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 Command and Data Handling (CDH) Subsystem team within Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a motivated early‑to‑mid‑career engineer. In this role, you will help develop CDH subsystem requirements, perform trade studies between avionics solutions, identify key components, and contribute to subsystem‑level design and analysis. You will support preparation for major design reviews and help lead the team through hardware build, integration, test, and on‑orbit operations.

This role requires strong communication and problem‑solving skills to collaborate effectively with other subsystems and to develop solutions to complex technical challenges. The ideal candidate has experience in one or more of the following areas: supporting or overseeing hardware design, managing technical budgets, working with electrical interfaces, hardware troubleshooting, or FPGA development. Experience with control account management is a plus.

This position follows a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off. Some night/weekend shift work, as well as periodic domestic and international travel, is required.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Performs requirement analysis and decomposition of customer requirements into hardware and software specifications and establish subsystem or system-level electrical verification method and plans.
• Performs analyses to evaluate all levels of the system to ensure a cohesive electrical-system solution throughout the development lifecycle (concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, maintenance, and disposal).
• Manages the internal & external flight-vehicle electrical interfaces and develops the corresponding subsystem or system-level interconnect/block diagrams, grounding diagrams, and support electrical schematics and global connectivity list development for the flight vehicle on programs as needed.
• Perform electrical interface compatibility verifications and verify electrical connectivity implementation (e.g. verify electrical harness implementation, safety-critical circuit segregation, support peer‑reviews).
• Oversees the technical planning, design integration, product integration, verification, and validation efforts for the CDH electrical-system elements throughout the development lifecycle. Influences the electrical-system design to facilitate electrical testing at the component, subsystem, and flight‑vehicle levels, with the aim to enable automated testing where applicable.
• Provides technical coordination of vendors and suppliers. Review suppliers “as‑planned”, “as‑designed”, and “as‑built” documentation (e.g. interface control document, derating analysis, worst case analysis, qualification test plan and procedure, acceptance test plan and procedure, test report).
• Manage hardware command and telemetry implementation (e.g. develop and coordinate calibration and conversion curves for analog telemetry in coordination subsystem engineers, verify electrical/software implementation).
• Identify Electrical Systems and C&DH risks, develop risk mitigation plans for selected risks, and implement mitigations.
• Contribute to assembly integration and test activities (e.g. electrical test requirements development, anomaly investigations/resolutions).
• Interfacing with design and manufacturing groups to monitor component production process/progress to include Integration & Test (I&T) and relaying that status to management along with potential solutions to stay on target.
• Provide technical oversight to ensure the C&DH electrical system is compliant and verifiable at the avionics digital and analog telemetry level.
• Lead the costing & scheduling development for the C&DH subsystem on major programs from initial RFP efforts through end of program life. Develop cost estimates for proposals and programs as required.
• Candidate must be comfortable with managing program execution from a Technical perspective, meeting deadlines, working on multiple projects concurrently, and working with various engineering disciplines and internal/external customers as required.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in a STEM area (preferably Electrical Engineering) and 5 years of relevant work experience, 3 years of relevant work experience with a Master’s degree, or a PhD.
• Technical experience in Electrical Systems or C&DH subsystem Engineering.
• Experience with flight hardware development, including Material Review Boards (MRB), Parts, Materials & Processes (PM&P), procurement, assembly documentation, and End Item Data Packages (EIDP).
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI security clearance.
• Hands‑on mentality and a passion for fast‑paced environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading teams of engineers managing resources and schedules.
• Experience with requirements tracking tool such as DOORS or CAMEO.
• Digital design experience.
• Experience developing FPGAs.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.
• Experience with creating and tracking schedules using project tracking tools such as Microsoft project.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) and creating variance reports.

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.