Principal / Sr Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer

Northrop Grumman; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 114,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Savings plan

Paid time off

Company holidays

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 3) or Senior Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 4) in Rancho Bernardo, CA. Hybrid schedule, on-site labs as needed to support business needs.

The role involves integration of IFF/TCAS hardware, lab and flight testing, troubleshooting, and collaboration across teams to deliver high‑quality avionics solutions for critical systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline with required related experience or advanced degree with reduced experience.
• Ability to obtain/maintain US Secret clearance and SAP.
• Experience with lab test equipment and test/troubleshooting of software/hardware.
• Proficiency with MATLAB and Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Integrate IFF and TCAS hardware and define interfaces.
• Conduct investigations, system and flight testing in lab environments.
• Provide remote and on-site troubleshooting for production and field issues.
• Support proposal development, verification, and risk analysis.
• Convert customer requirements into total system solutions within cost/schedule constraints.

Skills

Lab test equipment

System integration

MATLAB

Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Master's in STEM

Ph.D. in STEM

Tools

Microsoft Office

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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 3) or Senior Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 4) to join our Air Vehicle Hardware Avionics team of qualified, diverse individuals. This role will be located in Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), CA.

Note: This position requires regular presence at our Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) site, with a hybrid work schedule that includes both remote work and on-site lab work as needed to support business needs.

The Hardware Avionics group is responsible for management of the Identification-Friend-Foe (IFF) and Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) subsystems. The selected individual will work independently and collaborate across multiple teams to deliver quality solutions for the IFF and TCAS systems. General duties include lab and flight testing, production and field support, anomaly resolution, and supplier management. The role is dynamic as members of the team handle a broad range of activities across multiple phases of the program to include development, production, and operational support.

Key Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Integrate IFF and TCAS hardware, accounting for hardware capabilities / limitations, defining interfaces, and addressing interoperability standards.
• Conduct investigations, system testing, and flight testing in lab environments.
• Provide remote and on-site troubleshooting for production and field issues.
• Support proposal development and evaluation, technical planning, verification & validation, cost & risk analysis, and trade studies.
• Ensure the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total system solutions that balance technical, schedule, and cost constraints.

We offer flexible work arrangements, including a 9/80 schedule, to support work-life balance. Employees benefit from excellent learning opportunities and work on impactful, cutting-edge projects. Our collaborative and friendly team environment encourages professional growth and innovation.

Basic Qualifications:

Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 3)

• 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, OR a Ph.D. AND 1 year of related professional/military experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
• Hands-on experience with lab test equipment. (such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, or multimeters.)
• Experience with software/hardware development, integration, test, verification, or troubleshooting.
• Experience using engineering tools such as MATLAB and core Microsoft Office applications (such as Word, Excel, Project, Visio, etc.).

Senior Principal Flight-Critical Hardware Avionics Engineer (Level 4)

• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
• Hands-on experience with lab test equipment. (such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, or multimeters.)
• Experience with software/hardware development, integration, test, verification, or troubleshooting.
• Experience using engineering tools such as MATLAB and core Microsoft Office applications (such as Word, Excel, Project, Visio, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with IFF and/or TCAS transponders, including their operation, maintenance, integration, or design.
• Active U.S Government Secret security clearance or higher
• Comprehensive knowledge of IFF, including military and civilian modes and associated certifications
• Comprehensive knowledge of TCAS, including Due Regard and airspace integration
• High-level understanding of radio-frequency communication
• Familiarity with interfaces and related protocols, such as MIL-STD-1553, RS-485, ARINC-429
• Experience performing system-level design/troubleshooting
• Flight test, supplier management, requirements development and verification experience
• Prior experience as a military, civil, or commercial avionics technician

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

Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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.