Senior UAS Flight Test Engineer & Field Lead (50% Travel)

Northrop Grumman; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off (PTO)

Discretionary bonus potential

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Baltimore, MD is seeking a Staff Field Engineer to lead field and flight test activities for the MUX TACAIR program. The role involves extensive travel to Western US test sites and serving as a senior technical lead for UAS flight tests, platform integration, and data links.

You will coordinate with engineering on payloads, radios, and ground control systems, develop field procedures, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring safety and security compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 12+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on experience supporting UAS or airborne platforms in flight test or operational environments.
• Ability to troubleshoot at platform, RF, network, and payload levels using RF tools and telemetry.
• Experience planning and supporting DoD flight tests or range testing with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong technical documentation and communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel ~50%, including extended field deployments.
• US citizenship and an active DoD Secret clearance or ability to obtain.

Responsibilities

• Lead field and flight test support from planning through execution and post-flight analysis.
• Integrate, configure, and troubleshoot the UAS platform, ground control station, radios, and links.
• Provide on-site diagnostics and root-cause analysis across platform, RF, network, and payloads; coordinate with engineering.
• Support integration and verification of mission payloads during lab and flight test activities.
• Develop and maintain field procedures, checklists, and technical work instructions.
• Generate flight test reports and discrepancy reports; communicate performance and resolutions.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior field engineers, technicians, and operators.
• Ensure all field activities comply with safety, spectrum, airworthiness, and security requirements.

Skills

Field testing

Technical documentation

Team leadership

Communication

DoD testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree +12+ years

Master’s degree +10+ years

Tools

RF test tools

Telemetry analysis

Job description

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Baltimore, MD is seeking a Staff Field Engineer to lead field and flight test activities for the MUX TACAIR program. The role involves extensive travel to Western US test sites and serving as a senior technical lead for UAS flight tests, platform integration, and data links.

You will coordinate with engineering on payloads, radios, and ground control systems, develop field procedures, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring safety and security compliance.