Principal Test Engineer - 18264

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU); Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 98,900 - 148,300; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

401k

Educational Assistance

Life Insurance

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU) seeks a qualified engineer to prepare and manage facilities, labs, and test environments for Phase 2 and beyond, translating requirements into comprehensive system-level test solutions that balance performance with schedule and cost.

You will develop, lead, and execute integrated test plans for subsystem and environmental tests, ensuring traceability and coordinating across multiple teams and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) from an accredited university with 5+ years of relevant experience, or advanced degrees as stated.
• US Citizenship with active DoD Secret Clearance or ability to obtain Top Secret Clearance.
• 3+ years of experience developing and executing integrated test plans for defense/aerospace systems.
• 3+ years of hardware-in-the-loop/system-level testing coordination.
• 3+ years of developing innovative test automation solutions.
• 3+ years of documenting test requirements in requirements management systems.
• 3+ years of assessing anomalies and implementing resolutions with Test/Quality Engineering.
• Experience with test status reviews and leading technicians.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage facilities, labs, HWIL/SWIL environments and infrastructure for phase 2 and future tests.
• Translate contractual requirements into system-level test solutions balancing performance, schedule, and cost.
• Develop and execute integrated test plans and schedules for subsystem and environmental tests.
• Ensure traceability by maintaining the Integrated Test Plan and verification artifacts.
• Coordinate test activities across internal teams, labs, and suppliers for coherent campaigns.
• Analyze test results and generate system-level reports with data-driven recommendations.
• Review supplier test efforts and oversee verification/validation of components.
• Design proof-of-concept tests to mitigate early program risks during Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction.
• Manage test data, configuration control, analysis, metrics, and documentation using modern tools.
• Serve as primary technical liaison with customers and stakeholders ensuring safety/export-control compliance.

Skills

Test planning

Test execution

Requirements traceability

Hardware-in-the-loop

Systems engineering

DOORS

Jira

Confluence

Tableau

IBM Jazz

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

DOORS

Atlassian Jira

Confluence

Tableau

IBM Jazz

Job description

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available.

Clearance

Clearance Required for Start: Yes.

Clearance Type: Secret.

Travel

Yes, 10% of the time.

Overview

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.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage facilities, labs, HWIL/SWIL test environments, and supporting infrastructure (planning, procurement, builds, readiness) for Phase 2 and future‑phase test activities.
• Translate customer contractual requirements into comprehensive, system‑level test solutions that balance technical performance, schedule, and cost constraints.
• Develop, lead, and execute integrated test plans, procedures, and schedules for subsystem, system‑level, and environmental test events (including In‑Air and Underwater Eject Tests).
• Ensure test requirement completeness and traceability by contributing to and maintaining the Integrated Test Plan (ITP) and associated verification/validation artifacts.
• Coordinate and integrate test activities across internal engineering teams, lab operations, range organizations, and external suppliers to achieve coherent test campaigns.
• Perform technical analysis of test results and system performance, generate system‑level evaluation reports, and provide data‑driven recommendations to drive design improvements and risk reduction.
• Review and oversee supplier test efforts, including test requirements, plans, procedures, verification and validation of delivered components, and test data review.
• Design and implement proof‑of‑concept and risk‑reduction test methods and demonstrations to identify and mitigate early program risks during Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction.
• Manage test data acquisition, configuration control, analysis, metrics, and documentation using modern toolsets (e.g., DOORS, Atlassian, data analytics) to support technical reviews and decision making.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison for test activities with customers, contractors, and senior stakeholders while ensuring compliance with safety, security, and export‑control requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 5 years of relevant experience, OR a Master’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience, OR a Ph.D. and 1 year of relevant experience.
• Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance, at time of application, current and within scope, with an investigation date within the last 6 years.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
• 3+ years of experience developing and executing integrated test plans and procedures for complex defense or aerospace systems, including requirements traceability within a systems engineering framework (e.g., DOORS or equivalent).
• 3+ years of experience planning and executing hardware‑in‑the‑loop and/or system‑level hardware test activities, including coordination across multi‑disciplinary teams in a fast‑paced environment.
• 3+ years of experience in development of innovative Test Automation solutions.
• 3+ years of experience documenting test requirements and methodologies in the requirements management system.
• 3+ years of experience assessing anomalies and developing resolutions to documented procedures in conjunction with Test and Quality Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience reviewing status of test requirements, manages schedules and prepares reports. Selects and supervises technicians during test.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance.
• Experience developing Integrated Test Plans (ITPs), test procedures, and test reports (including functional checkout) for major DoD acquisition programs, preferably in strategic deterrence or missile systems.
• Experience leading test activities in a multi‑team environment, including schedule management, risk management, performance metrics, and customer/peer technical reviews (e.g., program reviews).
• Experience with test‑related toolsets such as DOORS (or equivalent), Atlassian tools (Confluence, Jira), and data analytics/visualization (e.g., Tableau) to manage requirements, test planning, and test metrics.
• Experience interfacing with and/or managing suppliers for test‑related work (e.g., drafting or executing Statements of Work for test activities, leading hardware procurement/supply chain coordination for test assets).
• CompTIA Security+ Certification (or equivalent DoD 8570 certification).
• Experience with IBM Jazz to assist in automated test execution.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage.
• 401k.
• Educational Assistance.
• Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions.
• Paid Time Off.
• Health & Wellness Resources.
• Employee Discounts.

Work Schedule

This position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine‑hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 – $148,300.00.

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.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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 northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.