Principal Test Conductor

Northrop Grumman; Palmdale (CA); On-site; USD 103,600 - 155,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Principal Test Conductor in Palmdale, CA, to lead planning, coordination, and execution of production tests across multiple integration levels. The role requires coordinating with program, engineering, and line management, and traveling to San Diego for on-site activities with overtime and up to 10–35% travel.

Responsibilities include managing test schedules, supervising technicians, and driving test execution quality from readiness through completion while ensuring

Qualifications

• Planning, coordinating and executing production tests across integration levels.
• Leading test readiness reviews and anomaly troubleshooting in real time.
• Driving test execution quality from readiness through completion.

Responsibilities

• Providing laboratory support for integration testing.
• Interfacing with design and analysis teams to define test configuration.
• Reviewing test requirements to ensure completeness of the program.
• Generating metrics for leadership reviews and status reporting.

Skills

Test coordination

Laboratory support

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Ph.D.

Tools

Teamcenter

Testing equipment

Job description

Relocation Assistance

No relocation assistance available

Clearance Required For Start

No

Clearance Type

Secret

Travel

Yes, 25% 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 Test Conductor to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within the Triton Test and Evaluation organization supporting the Mission Data Center. This position will be located in Palmdale, CA.

Mission-critical and hands‑on—In this role you will be doing planning, coordinating, and executing production tests across multiple integration levels; leading test readiness reviews; troubleshooting anomalies in real time; and refining procedures to ensure tests meet mission objectives. In this role you will be supporting cross‑functional delivery by serving as the liaison across program, engineering, and line management while coordinating test schedules and daily execution with managers, operators, and manufacturing on‑site in San Diego (with overtime/off‑hour flexibility and up to 10% travel). In this role you will be responsible for managing test schedules and status reporting, selecting and supervising technicians, and driving test execution quality from readiness through completion.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing laboratory support for integration testing
• Supporting and hosting test planning working groups
• Interfacing with test article design and analysis teams to define test configuration and data requirements
• Reviewing and evaluating test requirements to ensure completeness of test program
• Performing technical analysis of complete systems and preparing comprehensive system level evaluations
• Supporting test card reviews in collaboration with other engineering disciplines and test operations personnel
• Supporting test readiness reviews, and pre/post-test briefings
• Providing mission control room support and making real‑time decisions regarding safety, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Conducting and contributing to pre and post-test data analyses to support anomaly identification and resolution. Maintaining metrics on status of testing and constraints
• Generating metrics for leadership reviews
• Hot bench, Lab, and flight data management
• This position requires outstanding written and oral communications skills. Individual will be required to serve as either a principal subject matter focal point between maintenance, design engineering, and test site team - contractor and customer.
• Individual must be able to work under only general direction to determine and develop approaches to solutions; must be able to work both within a team environment and independently; must be self‑motivated, thorough, and detailed; and must be willing to learn additional engineering discipline areas.
• Extended work week, odd shifts, and weekend work will occasionally be required.

We offer flexible work arrangements, 4/10 work schedule with every Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self‑motivated, proactive, and goal‑oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Test Conductor

• Must have a High School Diploma and 9 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Bachelor degree 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.
• This position requires ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top‑Secret clearance.
• In depth knowledge of or test experience, to include control room monitoring.
• General knowledge of aviation systems.
• Advance knowledge of unmanned aircraft and aircraft systems.
• Willingness to travel domestically and to OCONUS (up to 35%) which includes traveling to Rancho Bernardo, San Diego for training and preparation in support of travel assignments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret/Top Secret Clearance
• FAA Airframe and Powerplant License
• Triton Production and/or Test experience
• Prior test engineering experience on medium to large‑sized unmanned aircraft
• Experience testing RF, Ethernet, and electrical cables
• Experience with Teamcenter and Test Procedure Revision

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 – $155,400.00. 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.