Senior Principal Optical Engineer

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Linthicum, MD is seeking a Senior Principal Optical Engineer to lead optical implementations and system development for EO/IR systems on multiple programs. This 100% on-site role involves converting system requirements into optical architectures and coordinating with multidisciplinary teams.

The candidate will mentor junior staff, develop performance metrics, and engage with customers while advancing imaging and laser-based sensors from breadboards to flight-ready systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 8 years of experience in STEM, or Master's 6 years, or PhD 4 years.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Active U.S. Government Secret Clearance required.
• Ability to obtain Special Program Access.
• Experience with Zemax, Code V or FRED for optical design and analysis.
• Experience in optical theory and detailed design for imaging and non-imaging systems.

Responsibilities

• Define architectures and lead implementations for IRAD, CRAD, and execution programs.
• Mentor and develop junior team members.
• Design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy optical systems for EOIR systems.
• Build and maintain physics-based sensor models.
• Develop and quantify performance metrics for system performance.
• Understand data quality and artifact impacts.
• Represent system performance in functional and analytical models.

Skills

Optical design

Team collaboration

Mentoring

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM fields

Master's degree in STEM fields

PhD in STEM fields

Tools

Zemax

Code V

FRED

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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.

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.

The EOIR team is seeking a Senior Principal Optical Engineer to serve as a technical lead for optical implementations and system development on advanced electro‑optical and infrared (EO/IR) systems. In this role, you will work across multiple programs to solve complex challenges, coordinate with architects on program-specific implementations, and engage regularly with customers on technical topics. You will also provide technical mentoring to junior staff as part of a 100% on‑site position based in Linthicum, MD.

What You'll Get To Do:

Northrop Grumman's EOIR program portfolio focuses on developmental programs and encompasses both imaging and laser systems. For this work, the candidate selected will be responsible for converting system performance and functional requirements into optical architectures, optical layouts, and detailed optical designs for airborne platforms. Responsibilities include analyzing optical design performance, generating and flowing down vendor specifications, and developing and executing alignment, integration, and test (AI&T) plans. The programs themselves range from proof‑of‑concept breadboards through high‑TRL flight systems and requires close collaboration with multidisciplinary engineering teams at all experience levels, as well as regular interaction with customers.

A strong candidate for this role has experience in airborne and/or space-based EOIR sensors, experience developing and demonstrating imaging and laser-based optical sensors, experience leading teams to successful program execution, and strength in customer engagements.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Define architectures and lead implementations for IRAD, CRAD, and execution programs
• Mentor and develop junior team members
• Design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy optical systems for novel EOIR systems
• Build and maintain physics-based sensor models
• Develop and quantify performance metrics for system performance
• Understand data quality and artifact impacts
• Represent system performance in functional and analytical models

This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active U.S Government Secret Clearance and the ability to obtain Special Program Access.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 8 years of experience, Master's degree with 6 years of experience or 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
• Ability to obtain Special Program Access
• Experience in Zemax, Code V, and/or FRED for optical design and analysis.
• Experience with optical theory and detailed optical design for both imaging and non‑imaging systems.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team‑based environment, collaborating with systems, mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with VIS, SWIR, MWIR, and/or LWIR remote sensing systems for both passive and active applications
• Experience with material selection, including bulk optical materials, coatings, and environmental durability for VIS-LWIR optical systems
• Experience with laser bea