Senior Principal Design Engineer — Aerospace (Secret Clearance)

Northrop Grumman; Palmdale (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Sr. Principal Design Engineer for Palmdale or El Segundo, CA. You will analyze and develop structural specifications for airframe components, leveraging CATIA, Nastran and related tools within an IPT framework.

The role emphasizes subsystem-level design, reliability, and manufacturability, with opportunities to lead teams and influence program outcomes. Relocation assistance may be available and a USG Secret clearance is required.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, or Civil) with 8 years of aerospace structural analysis experience, or MS degree with 6 years, or PhD with 4 years of related experience.
• Proficient with CAD and drafting tools (CATIA, NX, SolidWorks) and creating engineering drawings and BOMs.
• Strong knowledge of requirements development and management practices and tools.
• Experience with subsystem test planning, execution, troubleshooting, and hardware-in-the-loop or bench testing.
• Familiarity with manufacturing/producibility, design for maintainability, and configuration management processes.
• Active USG Secret clearance (with a background investigation within 5 years or Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain and maintain SAP access via PAR prior to employment and thereafter.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop subsystem components meeting performance, weight, and reliability requirements.
• Translate system-level requirements into subsystem specifications, interfaces, and drawings.
• Perform trade studies, engineering analyses, and simulations (stress, aeroelasticity, thermal, vibration).
• Create and maintain technical documentation including schematics, BOMs, test plans, and verification matrices.
• Support integration and interface activities with other engineering disciplines for compatibility and compliance.
• Plan, execute, and analyze subsystem-level tests and resolve design deficiencies through corrective actions.
• Contribute to configuration management, design reviews, risk assessments, and continuous improvement.

Skills

CAD

CATIA

NX

SolidWorks

Education

BS in Engineering (Aerospace/Mechanical/Civil)

MS in Engineering (Aerospace/Mechanical/Civil)

PhD in STEM

Tools

FEMAP

Patran

Nastran

Job description

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Sr. Principal Design Engineer for Palmdale or El Segundo, CA. You will analyze and develop structural specifications for airframe components, leveraging CATIA, Nastran and related tools within an IPT framework.

The role emphasizes subsystem-level design, reliability, and manufacturability, with opportunities to lead teams and influence program outcomes. Relocation assistance may be available and a USG Secret clearance is required.