Senior Space Systems Engineer — RPO & Missions

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Holidays and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia, is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to join the Space Superiority Division. This role applies systems engineering across the full mission lifecycle, from concept development through integration and on‑orbit execution, all on site.

You’ll collaborate with a cross‑disciplinary team to develop, integrate, test, and deliver spacecraft and mission systems for space security missions, including rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO)

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience applying systems engineering to aerospace or similarly complex systems.
• Experience collaborating across multiple engineering disciplines to resolve technical issues.
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance at time of application.

Responsibilities

• Supporting major program milestones and readiness reviews with technical content and clear presentations.
• Authoring and contributing to program data products and system engineering artifacts.
• Collaborating with mission partners to mature the system for mission execution.
• Supporting development or modification of spacecraft for accelerated launch paths.
• Developing understanding of spacecraft operations and RPO-focused missions.
• Developing analysis tools to evaluate mission concepts and spacecraft performance.
• Managing requirements and maintaining traceability throughout the lifecycle.
• Managing interfaces with payloads, host vehicles, and RPO sensor suites.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Interface definition

System architecture

Mission analysis

MBSE

RPO knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field

Master’s degree

PhD

Job description

Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia, is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to join the Space Superiority Division. This role applies systems engineering across the full mission lifecycle, from concept development through integration and on‑orbit execution, all on site.

You’ll collaborate with a cross‑disciplinary team to develop, integrate, test, and deliver spacecraft and mission systems for space security missions, including rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO)