Principal / Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer

Northrop Grumman; Rolling Meadows (IL); On-site; USD 108,800 - 163,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off (PTO)

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Rolling Meadows, IL is looking for an Electronics Engineer focused on development and testing of systems for the U.S. Air Force. The role involves troubleshooting, mentoring, and cross-functional teamwork.

Qualified candidates will have a degree in a STEM field with relevant experience in electronic systems and programming. The position offers competitive pay and a wide range of benefits, including health insurance and bonuses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience, or a Master’s degree with 3 years of experience.
• Proficiency with airborne RADAR and Electronic Warfare.
• Understanding of Digital Signal Processing algorithms implemented on FPGAs.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support system integration activities.
• Design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy modifications.
• Create Verification and Validation plans to ensure requirements are met.

Skills

Experience with airborne RADAR

Proficiency in C++

Experience with Digital Signal Processing

Familiarity with LabVIEW

Strong communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in STEM discipline

Tools

MATLAB

National Instruments LabWindows/CVI

Job description

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be 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.

The successful candidate will join Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems (DS) Specialized Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (STEWS) team in Rolling Meadows, IL. The role focuses on the development, testing, and sustainment of legacy and advanced electronic systems for U.S. Air Force platforms, including RF microwave airborne radar, infrared (IR) sensors, laboratory test stations, and transportable flightline electronic warfare combat test sets.

Our team provides sustainment support for the U.S. Air Force platforms. Our team members complete engineering, reverse engineering, and logistics solution efforts to solve complex obsolescence problems and ensure warfighter training, combat and supportability.

You will support execution of various program activities to include test system design and evaluation, design and development of RF systems and components, radar, power and/or electrical systems architecture, components, circuits, and products for aircraft and flight line. The position will research, develop, design, and test electrical components, perform equipment, systems, and design evaluations and provide general engineering support for defense or commercial systems.

The role demands hands‑on troubleshooting of field failures, supplier coordination, and the ability to mentor junior engineers while interfacing with customers and program leadership.

Roles And Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Lead or support system integration activities, coordinating with cross‑functional teams to deliver end‑to‑end system functionality.
• Design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy hardware and system modifications.
• Create and execute Verification and Validation (V&V) plans that ensure radar‑system requirements satisfy mission objectives and customer needs.
• Diagnose hardware and sub‑assembly failures, determine root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Facilitate smooth transitions from design to production.
• Produce and maintain engineering documentation, including specifications, change notices, parts lists, bills of materials, test plans, test procedures, and test reports to support the engineering development lifecycle and program goals.
• Establish milestones and monitor adherence to master plans and schedules.
• Evaluate, integrate, and test hardware and software components to reduce development risk and investigate anomalies.
• Interface with internal and external customers, delivering clear presentations and status updates.
• Provide troubleshooting support for field failures, leveraging deep knowledge of both hardware and software interfaces within the system and subsystem components.
• Offer technical assistance to Northrop and USAF technicians and collaborate with suppliers to resolve hardware issues.
• This position may be filled at either Principal or Sr. Principal Level.

Principal Electronics Engineer Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience with:

• Exposure to airborne RADAR and Electronic Warfare (EW)
• Familiarity in C++, Python or MATLAB development and/or debugging
• Familiarity with National Instruments (NI/Emerson) LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW.
• Understanding of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms implemented on FPGAs.
• Familiarity with PathWave RF Synthesis (Genesys)
• U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.

Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline, with a minimum of 9 (nine) years of relevant experience or a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 7 (six) years of related engineering experience with:

• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication abilities, coupled with excellent organizational skills.
• Proficiency with airborne RADAR and Electronic Warfare (EW)
• Proficiency in C++, Python or MATLAB development and/or debugging
• Proficiency with National Instruments (NI/Emerson) LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW.
• Proficiency of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms implemented on FPGAs.
• Proficiency with PathWave RF Synthesis (Genesys)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Altium Designer, RF and Digital test and measurement equipment.
• U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience with airborne RADAR Electronic Warfare (EW)
• Proficiency in C++, Python or MATLAB development and/or debugging
• Proficiency with National Instruments (NI/Emerson) LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW.
• Strong understanding of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms implemented on FPGAs.
• Proficiency with PathWave RF Synthesis (Genesys)

Professional Experience In Any Of The Following

• RADAR product data analysis
• Software requirements definition and verification
• Supplier Management of Hardware/Embedded Software system
• Operations and Sustainment of fielded systems
• Proposal development and review
• Root Cause and Corrective Action Investigations
• Test and evaluation of Software design solutions and tools
• Experience with data analysis, simulation, and modeling tools (e.g., MATLAB toolboxes,)
• Experience with configuration management, issue tracking/trending, and basic software engineering practices.
• Proficiency in one or more technical languages: MATLAB/Simulink, Python; C/C++ embedded/real time implementations.
• Ability to comprehend and analyze complex problems, develop solutions, and make decisions that impact the organization’s credibility, operations and services.
• Documented ability to interpret numerical data for reporting purposes and prepare and analyze data and figures.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate in a team environment across with multiple engineering disciplines.
• Ability to diagnose/troubleshoot/repair hardware components
• Experience with test planning at the circuit card, equipment, and system level
• Experience generating and diagnosing automated test software
• Analog, Digital, RF, EMI / EMC signal integrity experience

Compensation and Benefits

Primary Level Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $163,200.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00

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 Employer

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.