Principal Systems Test Engineer — Flight-Ready Verification

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 104,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo, CA, seeks a Principal/Sr. Principal System Test Engineer to lead test planning and execution for hardware/software verification in lab and flight environments.

The role requires a STEM degree with relevant experience and an active DoD Secret Clearance; weekend/support shifts may be necessary, with opportunities to grow in a dynamic Test & Evaluation team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 5+ years related experience, or Master’s with 3 years, or PhD with 1 year.
• Experience in System Test, Software Development, and/or Systems Engineering.
• Experience developing and executing system-level test procedures and traceability.
• Experience with Windows/Linux OS and Virtual Machines.
• Active DoD Secret Clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, and execute system-level test activities to evaluate and certify hardware/software.
• Develop, execute, and document integrated test procedures to verify requirements.
• Design test scenarios for performance, reliability, interoperability, and ops.
• Translate requirements into test plans, acceptance criteria, and traceability.
• Support lab operations, data collection, analysis, and metrics closure.
• Drive lab configuration rigor and compliance with security requirements.
• Apply Agile testing practices and CI to enable rapid feedback.
• Collaborate across teams to integrate subsystem changes.
• Communicate status, risks, and recommendations to leadership.
• Work independently, manage priorities, and support multi-shift testing.

Skills

Windows/Linux operating systems

Virtual Machines

Agile testing

CI

Python scripting

Java/C++

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

IBM Rational DOORS/ClearQuest

Atlassian JIRA/Git/Confluence

Job description

Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo, CA, seeks a Principal/Sr. Principal System Test Engineer to lead test planning and execution for hardware/software verification in lab and flight environments.

The role requires a STEM degree with relevant experience and an active DoD Secret Clearance; weekend/support shifts may be necessary, with opportunities to grow in a dynamic Test & Evaluation team.