Principal Test Engineer

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 86,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance coverage

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off (PTO)

Job summary

0090 CORP-Corporate Office is seeking a qualified candidate for a technical role involving aircraft system operations and ground test management. The ideal applicant will hold a Bachelor's degree in a STEM field and possess relevant experience, with responsibilities including troubleshooting aircraft systems and maintaining technical manuals.

The position requires a DoD Secret clearance and involves travel. Offers include competitive salary and comprehensive benefits including health insurance and paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant experience or 3 years with a Master’s in a STEM field.
• DoD Secret clearance in-scope or ability to obtain Top-Secret/SCI clearance.
• Experience with Aircraft Ground Test Operations.

Responsibilities

• Interface with engineers and technicians to sustain operations.
• Update Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMS).
• Conduct troubleshooting and repairs on aircraft systems.

Skills

STEM field knowledge

Interpersonal and communication skills

Proficiency with MS Office

Troubleshooting skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field

Tools

Multimeter

Network/spectrum analyzer

Oscilloscope

Time-Domain Reflectometer (TDR)

Job description

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available.

Clearance Requirements

Clearance required for start: Yes. Clearance type: Secret.

Travel

25% domestic and OCONUS travel expected.

Responsibilities

• Interfacing with NGC and customer Flight Engineers, aircraft maintenance technicians, US Navy service members, and subsystem SMEs to sustain operations.
• Primary interface between maintenance, design and flight test engineering.
• Vehicle and Payload Test Controller (VTC/PTC) operations during aircraft start-up/shut down for launch and recovery, conduct static ground tests, and troubleshooting.

Essential Functions

• Responsible for updating Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMS).
• Reviews/provides inputs during engineering development and executes Detailed Test Requirements, Acceptance Test Procedures, and Ground Test Plans.
• Installs, operates, troubleshoot, maintains, repairs, and modifies equipment in accordance with IETMS and/or other engineering directives (TDs/ECRs/TEIs/AMRs/MAFs).
• Perform maintenance and technical support on products such as equipment, integrated systems, subsystems, and software at customer and/or field locations.
• Develop general knowledge of all aircraft systems, VTC/PTC, Engineering Design and software.
• Perform field integration, troubleshooting, and repair of air vehicle systems at the customer location including operations on a flightline, or in a hangar.
• Conduct electrical and RF troubleshooting using equipment such as multimeter, network/spectrum analyzer, oscilloscope, Time-Domain Reflectometer (TDR), etc.
• Provide support and analysis of engineering schematics, supplier design data, and functional test requirements including acceptance, qualification, and system integration.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 5 years of relevant experience or 3 years with a Master’s in a STEM field.
• DoD Secret clearance in‑scope or currently enrolled in CE, with ability to obtain Top‑Secret/SCI clearance within a reasonable time.
• Experience with Aircraft Ground Test Operations.
• Willingness and ability to complete required training in Pax River, MD and Rancho Bernardo, CA.
• Capability and readiness to travel effectively to support customer needs, management reviews, and demonstrations of leadership.
• Willingness and ability to support 25% domestic and OCONUS travel to Japan, United Arab Emirates, or Guam.
• Ability to pass a new hire physical if determined necessary by Company.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel & PowerPoint).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to brief test results to senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active in‑scope Top Secret/SCI DoD security clearance at time of application and willingness to submit to counterintelligence polygraph if needed.
• Previous unmanned air vehicle system test or maintenance experience.
• MQ‑4 Vehicle Test Controller or Triton BETTIE operator experience.
• Aircraft test or lab test experience.
• Experience with equipment to test and troubleshoot aircraft systems.
• Experience with loading data and configuration files to aircraft assemblies.

Salary

Estimated salary range: $86,000.00 - $130,000.00, subject to experience, education, skills, and market conditions. Additional compensation may include overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and long‑term incentives for appropriate positions.

Benefits

Health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, company‑paid holidays, paid time off (PTO), and additional benefits available to Northrop Grumman employees.

Equal Opportunity Employment

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.