Senior Principal Technical Program Lead (IFC) - AISR&T Contingent

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Corporation in Rancho Bernardo, CA seeks a Senior Principal Technical Program Lead to drive IFC Management as a Systems Engineer and provide technical program leadership on the AISR/T program. You will coordinate scope, schedules, and technical content across engineering, integration, and program management, ensuring aligned deliveries and clear risk mitigation.

This role requires a STEM degree and extensive experience, plus an active Secret clearance, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Must have a STEM degree and 8+ years in military or professional settings, or a Master’s with 6+ years, or a PhD with 4+ years.
• Must hold an active US Government Secret clearance or higher, with recent background investigation or continuous evaluation.
• Experience as systems engineer, technical program manager, or technical project manager on complex DoD/DoW programs.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain IFC scope, content, and entry/exit criteria with engineering and leadership.
• Align IFC builds with milestones, lab/flight events, and customer deliveries; track readiness and close gaps.
• Support PI planning by defining objectives, dependencies, and commitments mapped to IFCs.
• Act as technical focal between systems, software, hardware, network, cyber, and labs for end-to-end alignment.
• Contribute to roadmaps, schedules, and status; communicate progress and risks to leadership.
• Track IFC readiness across requirements, design, implementation, integration, and test.
• Develop integrated plans and schedules for IFCs and PIs within scope.

Skills

Coordinate scope and schedule

Multi-team leadership

IFC/PI planning

Systems engineering

Risk and issue management

Technical roadmaps

Communication across disciplines

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

DOORS/DOORS Next

Jama

Teamcenter

Jira

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance 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. Please note that this opportunity is contingent on program funding. Start dates are determined after funding confirmation. Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Principal Technical Program Lead to work in Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) Management as a Systems Engineer and perform technical program leadership on the AISR&T program in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

In this role, you will serve as a key integrator across engineering, integration/test, and program management, with primary responsibility for IFC Management and PI planning. You will coordinate scope, schedules, and technical content to ensure aligned deliveries across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain IFC scope, content, and entry/exit criteria in coordination with engineering, integration, and program leadership.
• Align IFC builds with program milestones, lab/flight events, and customer deliveries; track readiness and drive closure of gaps and risks.
• Support PI planning and execution by helping define objectives, dependencies, and commitments that map to IFCs and program priorities.
• Act as a technical focal between systems, software, hardware, network, cyber, and integration labs to ensure end to end alignment.
• Contribute to technical roadmaps, schedules, and status for assigned IFCs and PIs, and communicate progress, issues, and risks to leadership.
• Track IFC readiness (requirements, design, implementation, integration, and test status) and drive closure of gaps and risks.
• Develop and maintain integrated plans and schedules for IFCs and PIs within assigned scope.

Basic Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 4 years of relevant military / professional experience
• Must have an active US Government Secret clearance or higher (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a systems engineer, technical project engineer, or technical program manager role on complex systems or DoW programs.
• Experience coordinating scope, schedule, and technical content across multiple teams or disciplines.
• Familiarity with configuration/increment planning (e.g., builds, drops, releases) and/or agile or PI planning practices.
• Experience managing or supporting IFC/release content for aerospace, defense, or other complex systems (e.g., mission systems, airborne ISR, tactical communications).
• Familiarity with requirements and configuration management tools (e.g., DOORS/DOORS Next, Jama, Teamcenter, Jira, or similar).
• Experience building and maintaining integrated schedules or technical roadmaps using tools such as MS Project or equivalent.
• Background in system integration, lab/rig integration, or system level test and the associated readiness/entry exit criteria.
• Experience in risk and issue management, including tracking, reporting, and mitigation planning on technical programs.
• Strong communication, organization, and facilitation skills, with the ability to work across engineering, integration/test, and program management.

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00 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.

We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future.

Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work.

Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.