Principal Engineer Systems/Sr. Principal Engineer Systems

Northrop Grumman; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 94,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

9/80 work schedule

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer 3/4 to join our Systems Engineering team in Oklahoma City, OK or Rancho Bernardo, CA. You will contribute as a technical leader within an IPT, guiding requirements, interfaces, and analyses to shape next‑generation aerospace capabilities.

The role requires DoD Secret or SAP clearances, strong Scrum/Agile experience, and collaboration across engineering disciplines to deliver complex program outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 3 Years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a PhD in a STEM discipline AND 1 Year of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret clearance
• Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
• Experience in at least one aspect of aerospace Systems Engineering (requirements decomposition, test planning, verification, integration, and requirements management)
• Experience with Scrum Team execution and/or Agile execution

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Scrum ceremonies (stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives) and improve Agile practices within the development lifecycle
• Perform requirements development, allocation, verification/validation planning and manage interface definition efforts
• Write complex specifications, interface control documents, and engineering reports
• Coordinate with program, functional and subsystem leads
• Maintain Systems Engineering artifacts with proper configuration management
• Coordinate verification and validation with stakeholders across IPTs
• Communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences
• Support cross-IPT development of system-level requirements and use cases
• Work with Release Train Engineers to develop and execute scrum team plans
• Manage project execution rhythm, coordination, and reporting activities
• Utilize JIRA or similar tool for issue tracking and resolution
• Salary and benefits discussion and related tasks

Skills

Scrum Master

Agile execution

Interpersonal skills

IPT coordination

Education

Bachelor’s in STEM

Master’s in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

JIRA

DOORS

Cameo

MBSE

Python

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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 Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization. This role is located in Oklahoma City, OK or Rancho Bernardo, CA.

This position can be filled at a level 3 or a level 4.

The responsibilities for this Principal Systems Engineer 3/4 position are for an individual contributor within a multi-disciplinary engineering team. Responsibilities include conducting research, writing requirements, developing models, defining interfaces and performing analysis while working within an Integrated Product Team (IPT) structure to drive the development of new program requirements, refine existing program requirements, and influence the pursuit of future technologies and capabilities. The selected candidate will collaborate across the engineering disciplines and technology areas to integrate and communicate technical capabilities and analyses with internal stakeholders and external customers across multiple simultaneous Modernization and Sustainment efforts.

Job Responsibilities

• In this role, you will be responsible for Scrum Master duties, such as facilitating stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives, and improving Agile practices within the development lifecycle.
• Perform requirements development, allocation, verification/validation planning and manage interface definition efforts.
• Write complex specifications, interface control documents, and engineering reports.
• Support interface/communication with program, functional and subsystem leads.
• Maintain Systems Engineering artifacts following proper configuration management procedures.
• Coordinate with key stakeholders to ensure proper verification and validation of Systems Engineering artifacts
• Possess strong interpersonal and leadership skills with excellent communications skills to support coordination across IPTs and with external customers.
• Solicit input from various stakeholders and team members to synthesize data and communicate findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Support cross-IPT development of system level requirements and use cases
• Work with Release Train Engineers to develop and execute scrum team plans and metrics
• Manage project execution rhythm, coordination, and reporting activities
• Utilize JIRA software tool (and/or similar) for issue tracking and resolution

We offer a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.

Basic Qualifications

• Principal Systems Engineer 3 - Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 3 Years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a PhD in a STEM discipline AND in a STEM discipline AND 1 Year of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret clearance
• Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
• Experience in at least one aspect of aerospace Systems Engineering, including requirements decomposition, test planning, requirements verification, integration, and requirements management
• Experience with Scrum Team execution and/or Agile execution
• Sr. Principal Systems Engineer 4 - Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline AND 6 Years of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering, OR a PhD in a STEM discipline AND in a STEM discipline AND 4 Year of related professional/military experience in Systems Engineering
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret clearance
• Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
• Experience in at least one aspect of aerospace Systems Engineering, including requirements decomposition, test planning, requirements verification, integration, and requirements management
• Experience with Scrum Team execution and/or Agile execution

Preferred Qualifications

• Scrum Master Certification
• Experience with Atlassian Tools & Python or other scripting language
• Experience with requirement decomposition and traceability from System to Unit/Supplier Specifications
• Experience with software development
• Experience with HW/SW integration testing
• Experience with managing suppliers with technical requirements and verification expectations
• Experience with DOORS DXL and DOORS administration
• Experience with Cameo
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Experience with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment software development for Aircraft Sustainment efforts
• Experience with Project Management
• Active DoD Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation
• Active SAP clearance

Primary Level Salary Range: $93,900.00 - $174,500.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00

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.