Senior Principal Digital Hardware Engineer

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU); Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 149,300 - 223,900; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan

Savings Plan

PTO

Education Assistance

Training and Development

9/80 Schedule

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU) is seeking a Senior Principal Digital Hardware Engineer to lead the design and testing of complex digital circuit card assemblies. You will collaborate with electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and test teams to ensure robust high‑speed digital board designs.

The role requires translating performance specs into hardware requirements, conducting thorough simulations, and guiding junior designers through the design process in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 8+ years of experience in STEM fields or advanced degrees with applicable experience.
• Experience translating system performance into hardware requirements and test specs.
• Experience with digital circuitry, schematic creation, fabrication support, and debugging.

Responsibilities

• Design component placement, layout, routing, and schematic development for complex high-speed digital and mixed-signal circuit card assemblies.
• Model routing and run signal/power-integrity simulations to analyze design performance.
• Perform DVT to assess hardware performance and troubleshoot in lab.
• Mentor junior designers and share best practices across teams.

Skills

High-speed digital design

Mentor Xpedition

Cross-functional collaboration

Design mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

Ph.D. in STEM

Tools

Mentor Xpedition

Job description

Relocation & Logistics

Relocation Assistance: No relocation assistance available

Clearance required at start: Yes

Clearance type: Secret

Travel: No

Job Overview

The Senior Principal Digital Hardware Engineer is a core member of the Hardware Engineering team responsible for designing, modeling, analyzing, and testing digital circuit card assemblies. You will work closely with electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, test, and other teams to design, analyze, and test digital board designs, supporting a broad portfolio of defense‑grade products.

Key Responsibilities

• Design: Perform component placement, layout, routing, and schematic development for complex high‑speed digital and mixed‑signal circuit card assemblies. Act as the lead on the CCA design, coordinating across various functions to ensure a sound design.
• Model and analyze: Model the routing of the hardware using various software tools and run signal and power‑integrity simulations to analyze performance of the design.
• Test: Perform DVT (design, verification, test) of hardware to assess performance. Debug and troubleshoot issues in the lab.
• Mentor junior designers: Provide guidance on best practices, standards, and the overall design process.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 8 years of experience, master’s degree with 6 years of experience, Ph.D. with 4 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or related technical fields; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• A current/active U.S. Government Secret clearance.
• 8 years of experience translating system performance and operational specifications into hardware requirements, design documentation, and test specifications.
• 8 years of experience with digital circuitry and design, including schematic creation, support to fabrication and assembly, and troubleshooting of digital hardware.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expert working knowledge of the Mentor Xpedition software suite.
• Experience with high‑speed digital design (5Gbps or greater) or RF/microwave PCB design.
• Demonstrated success working in collaborative, fast‑paced development teams.
• Expert written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting technical concepts to cross‑functional teams.

Benefits

• Health Plan
• Savings Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Education Assistance
• Training and Development
• 9/80 Work Schedule (where available)
• Additional benefits including insurance and more

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $149,300.00 – $223,900.00. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and Long‑Term Incentives.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Northrop Grumman is an equal‑opportunity employer. We make 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.