Principal Systems Engineer – Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 109,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan

Savings Plan

Paid Time Off

Education Assistance

Training and Development

9/80 Work Schedule

Job summary

Northrop Grumman seeks a Principal Systems Engineer to design, integrate, and test complex Electronic Warfare solutions for airborne platforms. The role emphasizes system-level architecture, IPT collaboration, and cross‑functional coordination with HW, SW, FW, I&T and PM teams.

Ideal candidates have strong EW experience, RF knowledge, and proven capability delivering mission‑critical systems. The position is onsite with potential relocation support and a competitive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field with 5+ years experience (or Master’s with 3; PhD with 1).
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Current/active U.S. Government Secret Clearance; SAP eligibility prior to start.
• Experience in systems engineering, integration and test for complex aerospace/defense systems.
• Experience with airborne sensors, RF systems, and/or EW concepts.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to system-level architecture, design, and requirements decomposition for airborne EW sensor systems.
• Support development, analysis, and maintenance of system interfaces and performance allocations.
• Plan and execute integration and test activities for EW systems and sensors in lab and field environments.
• Collaborate with HW, SW, FW, I&T, and Program Management to maintain technical alignment.
• Perform system-level analysis, modeling, and performance trades to inform design decisions.
• Develop and review test plans, procedures, and test reports; maintain traceability to requirements.
• Provide mentoring to junior engineers and present material for reviews and tech interchange.

Skills

Systems engineering

Integration & test

Airborne sensors

RF systems

Electronic Warfare concepts

IPT collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM or related field

Master’s degree (advantageous)

Ph.D. (advantageous for seniority)

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes 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. At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we’ll support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.

We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support development of Electronic Warfare (EW) systems for airborne sensor platforms. This position is 100% onsite and focuses on system design, integration, and test of complex EW capabilities. The selected candidate will work closely with Integrated Product Team (IPT) leads across Hardware (HW), Software (SW), Firmware (FW), Integration & Test (I&T), and Program Management to help define, develop, integrate, and verify mission‑effective EW solutions. This position requires up to 100% on‑site.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Contribute to system-level architecture, design, and requirements decomposition for airborne EW sensor systems.
• Support development, analysis, and maintenance of system and subsystem requirements, interfaces, and performance allocations.
• Plan and execute integration and test (I&T) activities for EW systems and sensors in laboratory and as required, field environments.
• Collaborate with HW, SW, FW, I&T, and Program Management team members to maintain technical alignment and support risk and schedule coordination.
• Perform system-level analysis, modeling, and performance trades to assess EW capabilities and inform design decisions.
• Develop and review test plans, procedures, and test reports; support configuration control and traceability to requirements.
• Support troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of system issues identified during integration and test, coordinating with cross-functional team members to implement solutions.
• Prepare and present technical material for internal and customer technical reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and technical interchange meetings.
• Contribute to risk identification, mitigation planning, and updates to the technical baseline for the EW system.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior and mid-level engineers as appropriate.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of experience, master's degree with 3 years of experience or Ph.D. with 1 year of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• U.S Citizenship is required.
• U.S. Citizenship is required. A current/active U.S. Government Secret Clearance Ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP) prior to start.
• Experience in systems engineering, integration and test, and/or system design for complex aerospace or defense systems.
• Experience with airborne sensors, RF systems, and/or Electronic Warfare concepts (e.g., threat detection, jamming, countermeasures).
• Experience working within multi-disciplinary IPTs (HW, SW, FW, I&T, Program Management).

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with EW systems, such as radar warning receivers, electronic support measures, electronic attack, or airborne EW payloads.
• Experience with digital signal processing (DSP) for EW or RF sensors applications (e.g., detection, filtering, pulse/feature extraction, beamforming).
• Experience with analog RF hardware for EW sensor applications, including RF front end design, filtering, amplification, impedance matching, and component level troubleshooting across relevant frequency bands.
• Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama) and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) methods and tools.
• Background in system integration, verification and validation, and test execution for flight or mission systems.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python) for EW, RF, or sensor performance assessment.
• Experience participating in technical reviews and contributing to proposal or capture activities for EW or sensor programs.
• Experience prioritizing and managing tasks while supporting multiple concurrent efforts

Benefits

• 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!

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.

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

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.

We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.