Sr. Principal Optomechanical Engineer - 4

Northrop Grumman; Chandler (AZ); On-site; USD 122,800 - 184,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance may be available

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Systems seeks a Sr. Principal Optomechanical Engineer to serve as the IR Window Responsible Engineer for the seeker subsystem in Chandler, AZ.

You will own requirements, verification, and material choices for window assemblies while coordinating with internal teams and external partners. Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field with 8+ years of experience (or MS/PhD with fewer

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related discipline from an accredited university with 8+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 6+ years; or PhD with 4+ years.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Government - Secret security clearance at time of application.
• Professional experience leading the design, development, or qualification of IR optical materials and window assemblies for aerospace, defense, or similar high-reliability systems.
• Experience with material and component testing, including mechanical and environmental test methods (MIL‑STD) and related frameworks.
• Experience coordinating technical activities with vendors and suppliers, including interpretation of specifications, drawings, and inspection criteria.
• Demonstrated experience with NDI methods used for optical or structural components.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the IR Window Responsible Engineer (RE) for the seeker subsystem, owning requirements, allocation, and verification related to window materials and assemblies.
• Collaborate with domestic and international stakeholders on material trade studies, testing campaigns, procurement strategies, and manufacturing process improvements.
• Coordinate with government partners for material development and testing activities, ensuring alignment with program objectives and export control regulations.
• Ensure window design decisions are consistent with structural, thermal, optical, and environmental test data.
• Lead trade studies and development efforts for IR window materials and components, including coatings, bonds, seals, and supporting structures.
• Coordinate with internal and external teams to support design, prototyping, qualification, and production.

Skills

IR window design

Materials testing

Cross-functional collaboration

NDI methods

FEA

Optical performance modeling

Export control awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related

MS or PhD in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics (preferred)

Tools

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Optical performance modeling

Statistical data analysis

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 Space Systems is seeking a Sr. Principal Optomechanical Engineer to serve as the Seeker IR Window Responsible Engineer (RE) supporting the Launch Vehicles business unit in Chandler, Arizona.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the IR Window Responsible Engineer (RE) for the seeker subsystem, owning requirements, allocation, and verification related to window materials and assemblies.
• Collaborate with domestic and international stakeholders on material trade studies, testing campaigns, procurement strategies, and manufacturing process improvements.
• Coordinate with government partners for material development and testing activities, ensuring alignment with program objectives, contractual requirements, and export control regulations.
• Ensure window design decisions are consistent with structural, thermal, optical, and environmental test data.
• Lead trade studies and development efforts for IR window and assembly materials and components, including coatings, bonds, seals, and supporting structures.
• Coordinate with internal GNC, systems, mechanical, materials, and manufacturing teams, as well as external vendors, to support component design, prototyping, qualification, and production.
• Oversee relevant material and component testing activities, including mechanical evaluations, thermal shock/thermal cycling, environmental testing, and other required experiments to validate performance margins.
• Facilitate the creation and approval of technical documentation, including design drawings, tolerance analyses, specifications, ICDs, and test plans/procedures.
• Manage procurement plans and maintain schedule compliance for key materials, components, and associated assembly hardware, identifying and mitigating supply chain risks.
• Drive manufacturing process improvements and provide detailed design and process feedback to suppliers to improve yield, reliability, and producibility.
• Develop, validate, and oversee Non‑Destructive Inspection (NDI) methodologies.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, including export controls, and support data exchanges or collaboration with external partners under appropriate technical and security controls.
• Provide technical leadership and briefings to internal and external stakeholders, including participation in design and readiness reviews, risk boards, and material review boards.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of related experience; or Master’s degree in a related discipline and 6 years of related experience; or PhD in a related discipline and 4 years of related experience.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Government - Secret security clearance at the time of application.
• Professional experience leading the design, development, or qualification of IR optical materials and window assemblies for aerospace, defense, or similar high‑reliability systems.
• Experience with material and component testing, including mechanical and environmental test methods (e.g., thermal cycling, vibration, shock, pressure, humidity, and relevant MIL‑STD test frameworks).
• Experience coordinating technical activities with vendors and suppliers, including interpretation of specifications, drawings, and inspection criteria.
• Demonstrated experience with NDI methods used for optical or structural components (such as radiography, ultrasonic inspection, optical/visual inspection).
• Experience working with or within multi‑disciplinary teams (systems, guidance navigation and control (GNC), mechanical, materials, manufacturing, test) to integrate hardware into complex systems.
• Familiarity with export control considerations and handling of technical data in support of domestic and international collaborations.
• Proven ability to independently tackle complex technical problems, synthesize test and analysis results, and present technical findings to stakeholders in written and oral formats.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Optical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related discipline.
• Active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at the time of application.
• Experience serving as a technical lead or responsible engineer for IR windows or other critical optical components on missile, hypersonic, or other high‑reliability flight systems.
• Previous experience with DoD missile defense or seeker programs, including familiarity with performance verification frameworks, environmental qualification, and flight test correlation.
• Hands‑on experience with IR window design and integration, including material selection (e.g., IR‑transmitting ceramics/crystals), coatings, mechanical mounting, and thermal/structural analyses.
• Experience developing or overseeing NDI procedures for optical materials and assemblies, including disposition of nonconformances and root‑cause investigations.
• Proficiency with engineering and analysis tools such as finite element analysis (FEA) for structural/thermal evaluation, optical performance modeling, and statistical methods for test data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience driving manufacturing process improvements, supplier development activities, and configuration management for critical hardware.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and a track record of mentoring and developing junior engineers.

Main Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00

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. 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.