Senior Staff Engineer Electronics Architect

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 193,000 - 289,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k)

Educational assistance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems seeks a Senior Staff Engineer, Electronics Architect to lead complex mixed-signal electronics, hardware, software, and firmware development. The role emphasizes IMU architecture, test planning, and production test solutions, collaborating with software, electrical, mechanical, and program teams.

You will guide architecture decisions, develop test strategies, review engineering documentation, and mentor multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced aerospace

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or STEM; required.
• Active DoD Secret clearance or higher; recent background investigation.
• Experience leading Integrated Product Teams or similar engineering leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, integration, and validation across hardware, software, and firmware.
• Develop test architectures and verification strategies for multiple product lines.
• Provide SME in electronics, power, and IMU-based systems; guide design decisions.
• Collaborate with design and integration teams to incorporate new hardware/software into test environments.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams to develop and deploy Production Test Solutions.
• Support requirements flow-down, verification planning, and technical closure of design requirements.
• Generate and review engineering documentation and test specifications.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems integration

Test architecture

Production/test experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or STEM

Master’s degree with 12 years of relevant experience

PhD with 10 years of relevant experience

Tools

NI LabWindows/CVI

C/C++

HDL Verilog/VHDL

Matlab

Xilinx Vivado

Cadence Allegro

Altium

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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer, Electronics Architect to serve as a product technical lead across complex mixed signal electronics, hardware, software, and firmware development efforts.

This role requires deep technical expertise spanning analog, digital, power, FPGA, and embedded test architectures, combined with strong leadership in system integration and product test execution.

The selected candidate will lead the technical proposal strategy, research effort, integration, and validation of advanced electronic systems with a strong emphasis on inertial measurement unit (IMU) architecture, test planning, and production test solution development. This position will partner closely with software/firmware, electrical, mechanical, systems, and program leadership to ensure successful execution from development through verification and transition to production.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead for complex electronics products, driving architecture, integration, and validation activities across hardware, software, and firmware domains.
• Lead development of test architecture and test strategies to verify and validate requirements across multiple product lines.
• Provide subject matter expertise in the integration and testing of electronics, power, and digital systems, with emphasis on IMU-based products.
• Evaluate technical tradeoffs during engineering development and guide design decisions to support product performance, testability, manufacturability, and program execution.
• Partner with design and integration teams to ensure successful incorporation of new hardware and software/firmware into test environments.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams responsible for developing and integrating Production Test Solutions.
• Support requirements flow-down, requirements management, verification planning, and technical closure of design requirements.
• Generate and review technical documentation including specifications, interface control documents, technical reports, engineering studies, and proposal content.
• Develop, debug, review, and oversee test code used for integration and verification activities.
• Generate, review, and release engineering documentation such as electrical schematics, wire tabs, test specifications, assembly drawings, and interconnect diagrams.
• Interface with internal functional engineering teams, program leadership, and customer technical representatives as needed.
• Provide leadership in technical planning, team building, collaboration, mentoring, and execution in a fast-paced aerospace environment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or another STEM discipline from an accredited university with 14 years of relevant engineering experience; or a Master’s degree with 12 years of relevant engineering experience; or a PhD with 10 years of relevant engineering experience.
• Active DoD Secret clearance or higher, with a background investigation completed within the last 5 years or current enrollment in Continuous Evaluation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable time frame to meet business needs.
• Experience serving as an Integrated Product Team Lead, Technical Lead, Hardware Architect, Software Architect, or in another engineering leadership role with demonstrated team-building and organizational skills.
• Experience across hardware and software development lifecycles, including design, test and evaluation, and transition to production.
• Ability to develop, debug, and review test code.
• Experience generating, reviewing, and releasing engineering documentation such as schematics, test specifications, assembly drawings, and interconnect diagrams.
• Ability to interface with teams of major programs to help develop executable strategies for test execution, and technical skill alignment in support of contractual and financial milestones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in product architecture design and integration.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal direction.
• Experience with NI LabWindows/CVI, C/C++, HDL (Verilog or VHDL), and Matlab.
• FPGA development using Xilinx Vivado Design Suite.
• Experience with schematic capture and layout design tools such as Cadence Allegro, Altium, Siemens Xpedition, or other similar platforms.
• Proficiency with digital and analog electronics, power systems, circuit analysis (PSpice/LTspice), high-speed digital design, and standard electronics test equipment (oscilloscope, DMM, Logic analyzer, AWG, spectrum analyzer, etc.).
• Familiarity with differential digital interfaces such as LVDS, USB, RS-422 / RS-485, and PCIe.
• Experience with communication interfaces like UART, I2C, SPI, RS-232, and MIL-STD-1553.
• Hands‑on troubleshooting experience with electronic hardware and software/firmware.
• Experience and/or training in Earned Value Management Systems.
• Additional experience in payload integration, avionics integration, digital electronics integration, risk analysis, communications, or aerospace integration and test.

About the Organization

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission‑enabling solutions for global security. The Engineering and Sciences organization advances innovation across engineering disciplines to design, develop, produce, and sustain high-performance products that deliver decisive capability to the warfighter. Team members are empowered to solve complex technical challenges in a collaborative environment built on technical excellence, mission focus, and continuous improvement.

Work Schedule and Benefits

This position follows a 9/80 work schedule, allowing employees who work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

• As a full-time employee, Northrop Grumman offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), educational assistance, life insurance, employee assistance programs, paid time off, wellness resources, and employee discounts.
• 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.
• 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.
• Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Additional information is available at Northrop Grumman Total Rewards.

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 - $289,200.00 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.

Eligibility

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.

Company Culture

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.