Principal LO Test Engineer – Flight Test & Clearance

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 114,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems at Edwards AFB, CA seeks a Principal/Sr. Principal Low Observables Test Engineer to lead LO/EW testing for military aircraft.

You will develop automation scripts in Python/MATLAB, analyze flight test data, and collaborate with IPTs to define test requirements and instrumentation. Preferred candidates hold a STEM degree and active DoD clearance, with 5+ years (BS) or 3+ years (MS) of related experience, and a willingness to work overtime and weekends to

Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master’s degree and 3 years of related professional/military experience.
• Experience in a systems test environment (flight test, HWIL, SIL, lab, or range-based test of complex avionics, sensors, or mission systems).
• Familiarity with survivability concepts (threat systems, mission-level survivability, LO/RCS, EW effects).
• Demonstrated experience with at least one programming or scripting language used for test and data analysis (Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Must have an active US Government DoD Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Must be able to obtain and maintain SAP clearance in a reasonable time.
• Willingness to work overtime, odd-hour shifts, and occasional weekends to support test schedules.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical contributor on the Survivability Flight Test Engineering team, planning and executing tests for LO and EW systems on military aircraft.
• Apply electronic warfare and survivability expertise to design test points, define instrumentation needs, and evaluate system performance against requirements.
• Develop, maintain, and apply analysis tools, scripts, and models (e.g., Python, MATLAB) to automate data processing, perform signal and spectral analysis, and generate test reports.
• Work collaboratively in an IPT environment to determine and communicate test requirements, testing methods, equipment/measurement selection, test setup, and pre/post-test reporting.
• Analyze flight test data to characterize system LO performance and contribute to test cards, quick-look products, and final test reports.
• Support integration, ground testing, operation/maintenance of RCS test/inspection tools, and pre-mission rehearsals to verify configurations and data acquisition readiness.
• Identify, communicate, and help manage test risks, issues, and opportunities with stakeholders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of test processes, data analysis flows, and software tools to increase efficiency and repeatability.

Skills

Low Observables

Survivability concepts

Python

MATLAB

Test engineering

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Master's in STEM

Tools

Python scripting

MATLAB scripting

Job description

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems at Edwards AFB, CA seeks a Principal/Sr. Principal Low Observables Test Engineer to lead LO/EW testing for military aircraft.

You will develop automation scripts in Python/MATLAB, analyze flight test data, and collaborate with IPTs to define test requirements and instrumentation. Preferred candidates hold a STEM degree and active DoD clearance, with 5+ years (BS) or 3+ years (MS) of related experience, and a willingness to work overtime and weekends to