Principal Engineer Test

Northrop Grumman; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 89,000 - 134,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Principal Test Engineer in Salt Lake City, UT. You will lead hands-on CCA troubleshooting, drive test process improvements, and mentor engineers in a fast-paced lab and office setting.

You will partner with design, manufacturing, and quality teams to resolve hardware issues, improve test coverage, and ensure robust test methodologies for CCAs across multiple product lines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 5+ years in electronics/CCA test or Master’s with 3+ years
• Strong board-level troubleshooting of digital/mixed-signal CCAs
• Hands-on proficiency with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, DMMs, logic analyzers)
• Ability to interpret schematics, datasheets, test procedures, and manufacturing docs

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on debug of complex CCA failures at ICT, functional, and system levels
• Perform board-level analysis using schematics, layout, test logs and instrumentation
• Distinguish hardware issues from test/setup problems and drive to closure
• Mentor junior engineers and present test performance summaries to leadership

Skills

Board-level troubleshooting

Lab-data driven decisions

Cross-functional collaboration

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM (electronics/EE)

Master's degree in STEM

Tools

Oscilloscope

DMM

Logic analyzer

Schematic interpretation

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) offers a challenging career opportunity as a Principal Test Engineer in our Operations Electronics & Avionics Engineering team at our Salt Lake City, UT facility. Working in NGMS means making a direct contribution to mission projects that keep our homeland safe and expanding the boundaries of the world we live in.

The Principal Test Engineer will lead circuit card assembly (CCA) troubleshooting and drive test/process improvements across our product lines. This role is hands‑on in the lab and strategic in the conference room: you’ll dig into complex CCA failures, improve how we test, and mentor other engineers and technicians. You should be comfortable owning problems from first failure through root cause and corrective action, and confident working with functional test environments.

What You’ll Get to Do:

Troubleshooting & Test Support:

• Lead hands‑on debug of complex CCA failures at ICT, functional, and system-level test.
• Perform board‑level analysis using schematics, layout, test logs, and instrumentation (DMM, scope, logic analyzer, etc.).
• Distinguish true hardware issues from test setup, software, or fixture‑related problems and drive to closure.
• Provide clear, data‑driven dispositions and rework recommendations for nonconforming hardware.

Test Process & Capability Improvement:

• Analyze defect/yield data to identify top failure modes and systemic issues.
• Develop and implement improvements to test coverage, methods, and workflows to reduce retest, escape risk, and touch‑time.
• Support capacity and throughput improvements (test sequence optimization, parallelization, changeover reduction, etc.).
• Document and standardize best practices for CCA test, debug, and data collection.

Collaboration & Leadership:

• Partner with design engineering, manufacturing, and quality to resolve hardware issues and improve design‑for‑test (DFT).
• Participate in design and test readiness reviews, providing DFT and test strategy input for new CCAs.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians in troubleshooting methods, ICT fundamentals, and test tools.
• Prepare and present concise summaries of test performance, risks, and improvement actions to leadership.

What Success Looks Like:

• CCA failures are resolved quickly, with clear root cause and durable corrective actions.
• Test yields improve and retest/no‑trouble‑found (NTF) rates decrease over time.
• ICT/ICT+ programs and fixtures are robust, with high coverage and strong diagnostics.
• Technicians and junior engineers look to you as a go‑to resource for tough board problems.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM field with 5 years of relevant experience in electronics/CCA test and troubleshooting or Master’s degree in STEM field with 3 years of relevant experience in electronics/CCA test and troubleshooting.
• Strong experience in board‑level troubleshooting of digital and/or mixed‑signal CCAs.
• Hands‑on proficiency with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, DMMs, logic analyzers, power supplies, etc.).
• Ability to interpret schematics, datasheets, test procedures, and manufacturing documentation.
• Demonstrated experience using data to drive root cause and corrective action.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to clearly explain technical issues and solutions to cross‑functional teams.
• U.S. Citizenship.
• Ability to obtain/maintain a US Government Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• Experience with ICT or Flying Probe platforms such as Keysight, Teradyne, or similar.
• Familiarity with boundary scan/JTAG, flying probe, or other structural test methods.
• Experience with statistical analysis of test/yield data and tools such as JMP, Minitab, or similar.
• Background in design‑for‑test (DFT) for CCAs and participation in design reviews.
• Experience in a high‑reliability / aerospace / defense electronics environment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional problem‑solving efforts and sustain improvements.

What We Can Offer You:

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family.

Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!

Primary Level Salary Range: $89,400.00 - $134,200.00

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.