Mechanical Engineer/ Lvl 3/4– Motion Controls Project Engineering

0895 DS - MP - Elkton; United States; On-site; USD 99,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Elkton, Maryland is seeking a Principal Project Engineer or Sr. Principal Project Engineer to join the Motion Controls team. The role focuses on project engineering and management for motion control hardware used in space and defense applications.

You will develop scope, schedules, budgets, and risk plans, coordinate cross‑functional teams, and oversee design reviews, testing, and documentation to ensure on‑time, compliant delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with 5+ years of relevant experience, or higher degrees with fewer years.
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required).
• Willingness to travel as required.

Responsibilities

• Define project scope, objectives, and deliverables for motion‑controls hardware.
• Plan and manage schedules, resources, and budgets.
• Track milestones, costs, and risks; drive resolution.
• Manage scope changes through formal change control.
• Identify and mitigate risks; maintain risk register.
• Communicate status to stakeholders via reports and reviews.
• Ensure design reviews and testing meet quality standards.
• Coordinate documentation and release of design results.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Systems engineering

Motion controls

Secret clearance

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree in Engineering

PhD in Engineering

Tools

Siemens NX

Siemens Teamcenter

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No 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 is currently seeking a Principal Project Engineer or Sr. Principal Project Engineer to join our team at our Elkton, Maryland location in support of the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit. The Northrop Grumman PS&C facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid‑propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton site designs, develops, and produces solid‑propellant propulsion, ordnance, and motion controls systems for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Elkton, Maryland is located on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The area offers small‑town communities, parks with miles of trails, specialty and antique shops, award‑winning restaurants, and inns. Outdoor activities include hiking, biking, camping, bird watching, horseback riding, and fishing. Five rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the C&D Canal can be explored by boat or by land, with scenic views from Turkey Point Lighthouse and along the C&D Canal.

More information is available at: https://www.ccgov.org/government/tourism

Overview

This project engineering position will perform project engineering and project management for our Motion Controls team.

The team designs and develops challenging motion control systems, including:

• Nozzle vectoring systems and controllers
• Flight surface actuation
• Cold and hot gas valve control
• Other critical motion control systems for a variety of space and defense applications

Key Responsibilities

• Develop project scope, objectives, and deliverables for motion controls hardware in collaboration with the integrated project team.
• Plan and manage project schedules, resources, and budgets for assigned scope to ensure execution remains on target.
• Monitor progress against the plan, tracking milestones, timelines, costs, and technical risks; drive issue resolution and escalation as needed.
• Manage changes to scope, schedule, and budget through a formal change‑control process, including preparation of change requests and supporting technical rationale.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks; maintain a risk register and contingency plans for assigned hardware and tasks.
• Communicate status, risks, and key decisions to stakeholders via reports, recurring meetings, and formal design/program reviews.
• Ensure quality standards are met by planning and implementing appropriate design reviews, peer reviews, and test/verification activities.
• Coordinate documentation and release of design and analysis results from the engineering team, ensuring configuration control and proper approvals.
• Make recommendations for process and program improvements to enhance schedule adherence, technical quality, and team efficiency.
• Support test planning and execution for design, fabrication, integration, and verification activities, working closely with test and manufacturing teams.
• Support generation and execution of presentation materials for internal and customer reviews throughout the design lifecycle.
• Work with procurement, suppliers, and materials management to ensure hardware and consumables are specified correctly and delivered to enable project execution.

Basic Qualifications – Principal Engineer (Level 3)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 5+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree in Engineering and 3+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD in Engineering and 1+ year of relevant experience
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
• Ability and willingness to travel as required

Basic Qualifications – Sr. Principal Engineer (Level 4)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and 8+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree in Engineering and 6+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD in Engineering and 4+ years of relevant experience
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
• Ability and willingness to travel as required (Level will be based on experience, education, and demonstrated competency.)

Preferred Qualifications (Both Levels)

• Ability to lead and coordinate a multi‑disciplinary team (mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, test) to plan, design, fabricate, integrate, and install multiple motion‑control subsystems.
• Experience with complex electro‑mechanical systems, ideally including actuation or motion controls.
• Current active Security Clearance.
• Proficiency with Siemens NX and Siemens Teamcenter Unified Architecture or similar CAD/PLM tools.
• Knowledge of systems engineering approaches to ensure program and customer requirements are met, including requirements flow‑down and verification planning.
• Experience as a Cost Account Manager (CAM) or equivalent, maintaining budgetary and schedule compliance while ensuring technical quality.

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $123,400.00 - $185,000.00

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.

Existing Applicants

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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.