Senior Principal Systems Engineer - Air to Ground

Northrop Grumman Corp.; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 136,000 - 204,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan

Savings Plan

Paid Time Off

Education Assistance

9/80 Work Schedule

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems has an opening for a Sr. Principal Systems Engineer (Air-to-Ground) to join our engineering team in Linthicum, MD. The role focuses on designing radar architectures, leading requirements flow-down, and validating performance through tests and analyses.

On-site work is required, with relocation assistance and potential SAP access. You will collaborate across disciplines to solve complex radar challenges, develop specifications, and prepare technical materials for

Qualifications

• Active U.S. Government Secret Clearance required or ability to obtain SAP.
• Experience in Radar Air-to-Ground applications with modeling in MATLAB/Python/C/C++.
• Ability to develop and manage requirements, specifications, and ICDs.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and technical writing skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop radar system architectures for air‑to‑ground missions (SAR, GMTI, etc).
• Lead requirements analysis, allocation, and flow-down to subsystems.
• Own and maintain system/subsystem specifications and ICDs with traceability to needs.
• Perform radar performance modeling (SNR, range, resolution).
• Conduct trade studies on waveforms, antennas, processing, and constraints.
• Use MATLAB/Python to evaluate design options and support decisions.
• Plan and execute lab, field, and flight tests to verify radar performance.
• Develop test procedures, define success criteria, and analyze data.
• Support cross-disciplinary problem solving among hardware, software, and signal processing.
• Present technical material for reviews and customer briefings.
• Contribute to proposals and technical volumes.

Skills

Radar architectures

Requirements analysis

System/subsystem specs

Radar performance modeling

Trade studies

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

MBSE

Lab/flight test planning

Technical writing

Technical presentations

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Ph.D.

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

MBSE

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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems has an opening for a Sr. Principal Systems Engineer (Air-to-Ground) to join our organization. Our organization within Northrop Grumman Mission Systems offers the opportunity to join a team to solve problems in the field and drive new solutions into next generation systems across a wide variety of platforms and environments. You will support the Systems Engineering Integration and Test (SEIT) team on multiple major development programs.

This position is based out of Linthicum, MD and will be 100% on-site.

What You'll get to Do:

• Develop radar system architectures for air‑to‑ground missions (e.g., SAR, ISAR, GMTI/T, Targeting, Weather, Surface Return, Sea Surface Search, Ship Track, etc).
• Lead requirements analysis, allocation, and flow‑down to subsystems (RF front‑end, signal processing, interfaces).
• Own and maintain system/subsystem specifications and ICDs, ensuring traceability to mission and platform needs.
• Perform radar performance modeling (SNR, detection range, resolution, clutter, false alarm rates).
• Conduct trade studies on waveforms, antenna configurations, processing approaches, and platform constraints.
• Use modeling tools (MATLAB, Python, etc.) to evaluate design options and support technical decisions.
• Plan and execute lab, field, and flight tests to verify radar performance against requirements.
• Develop test procedures, define success criteria, and analyze test data to identify issues and drive corrective actions.
• Support problem‑solving across hardware, software, and signal processing teams.
• Serve as a key technical contributor within multi‑disciplinary teams.
• Prepare and present technical material for internal reviews and customer briefings.
• Support proposals and technical volumes, contributing to concepts, architectures, and estimates.

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 (SAP).
• Experience in Radar Air-to-Ground applications, including developing and applying models in MATLAB, Python, and/or C/C++
• Experience with radar or RF systems, with demonstrated contributions in systems engineering, modeling, or integration.
• Knowledge of air‑to‑ground radar concepts and modes.
• Experience with modeling/analysis tools such as MATLAB and/or Python.
• Ability to develop and manage requirements, specifications, and ICDs.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, communication, and technical writing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in a relevant STEM discipline.
• Experience with airborne radar programs (development, integration, or sustainment).
• Experience with systems engineering tools or model‑based systems engineering (MBSE).
• Familiarity with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques and real‑time implementation constraints.
• Experience leading small technical teams or work‑packages

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family.

Your benefits will include the following:

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

Northrop Grumman has approximately 90,000 employees in all 50 states and in more than 27 countries. We strive to attract and retain the best employees by providing an inclusive work environment wherein employees are receptive to diverse ideas, perspectives, and talents to help solve our toughest customer challenges: to develop and maintain some of the most technically sophisticated products, programs, and services in the world.

Our Values. The women and men of Northrop Grumman Corporation are guided by Our Values. They describe our company as we want it to be. We want our decisions and actions to demonstrate these Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates long‑term benefits for shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve.

Our Responsibility. At Northrop Grumman, we are committed to maintaining the highest of ethical standards, embracing diversity and inclusion, protecting the environment, and striving to be an ideal corporate citizen in the community and in the world.

Primary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00

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.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

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.