Principal Engineer Systems RQ-4 FMS IFC Manager

Northrop Grumman; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 114,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in San Diego seeks a Systems Engineer/Technical Program Manager to define and maintain IFC scope, coordinating with IPTs to ensure end‑to‑end alignment across systems, software, hardware, and cyber. The role requires a STEM degree with 5+ years experience or a higher degree with commensurate experience and an active US Secret clearance; travel up to 10% is expected.

Relocation assistance is not provided; salary range is $114,000–$171,000 annually with discretionary bonuses and

Qualifications

• Bachelors in STEM with 5+ years or Masters with 3+ years or PhD with 1+ year of relevant experience.
• Experience as systems engineer, technical project engineer, or technical program manager on complex systems/software.
• Experience coordinating scope, schedule, and technical content across multiple teams/disciplines.
• Experience with configuration/increment planning (builds, drops, releases).
• Active US Government Secret clearance (within last 6 years or in Continuous Evaluation).

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain IFC scope and content with engineering, integration, and program leadership.
• Collaborate with Integrated Product Teams to develop, maintain, and execute IFC plans.
• Manage project execution rhythm including cross-functional coordination, schedule integration, and status reporting.

Skills

System engineering

Technical program management

Cross‑functional coordination

Configuration management

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

DOORS

Jira

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

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.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain IFC scope and content in coordination with engineering, integration, and program leadership.
• Collaborate with Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to develop, maintain, and execute program IFC plans.
• Manage project execution rhythm, including coordination of cross-functional activities, schedule integration, and status reporting to program leadership.
• Act as a technical focal between systems, software, hardware, network, cyber, and integration labs to ensure end to end alignment.
• Track IFC readiness (requirements, design, implementation, integration, and test status) and drive closure of gaps and risks.
• Apply familiarity with and understanding of system requirements, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and Statements of Work (SOW) to ensure technical solutions and deliverables meet contractual and system-level objectives.
• Exercise strong communication, organization, and facilitation skills, with the ability to work across engineering, integration/test, and program management.

Basic Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 5 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 3 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 1 year of relevant military / professional / academic experience
• Must have experience in a systems engineer, technical project engineer, or technical program manager role on complex systems or software-intensive programs.
• Must have experience coordinating scope, schedule, and technical content across multiple teams or disciplines.
• Must have experience with configuration/increment planning (e.g., builds, drops, releases).
• Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing or supporting IFC/release content for aerospace, defense, or other complex systems.
• Familiarity with requirements and configuration management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jira, or similar).
• Experience building and maintaining integrated schedules or technical roadmaps.
• Background in system integration, lab integration, or system-level test and the associated readiness/entry-exit criteria.
• Experience in risk and issue management, including tracking, reporting, and mitigation planning on technical programs.

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00

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.

Application Period

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.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.