Sr. Principal System Engineer - NATO IFC Lead

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Travel 10%

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to lead IFC for a NATO business area, based in Rancho Bernardo, CA. You will manage interface baselines, coordinate with SE, Software, Hardware, and Safety teams, and drive IFC certification across hardware and software.

You will mentor junior engineers, shape a strategic IFC roadmap, and present program status in reviews and with customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 9+ years related experience.
• Experience in Systems Engineering with focus on interface control and integration.
• Strong analytical and written/verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as IFC technical authority on the program and own interface baselines.
• Define and execute IFC certification process for software/hardware builds.
• Lead IFC-related meetings and review boards.
• Evaluate ECPs and new capability insertions for IFC impact; advise leadership.
• Develop an IFC roadmap aligned with capability increments.
• Lead root-cause investigations for IFC anomalies and verify fixes.
• Prepare IFC certification packages with rationale and test evidence.
• Identify IFC risks and mitigation plans; communicate status.

Skills

Systems Eng

Interface Control

Technical Writing

Problem Solving

Education

STEM Degree

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization, located in Rancho Bernardo, CA. In this role, you will perform as an Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) Lead for the NATO Business Area and will be responsible for leading a diverse engineering team to provide imaginative, technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems. This role is responsible for defining, controlling, and certifying system interfaces; ensuring that interface baselines are technically sound, well documented, and fully integrated to drive IFC strategy supporting new capability insertion. The IFC Lead partners closely with Systems Engineering, Software, Hardware, Integration & Test, Safety, and Cyber to reduce integration risk and enable predictable, high‑quality program execution. You will be working across the entire spectrum of the Systems Engineering V-Model, and will support SE disciplines including requirements development, use case development, capability (hardware and software) development, integration planning, lab integration, test planning, formal test, and verification.

Essential Functions

• Serve as the technical authority for IFC on the program, owning the interface baseline across allocated subsystems and external stakeholders.
• Define and execute the IFC certification process for software and hardware builds, including planning, verification, and formal approval.
• Lead and/or chair IFC-related meetings (e.g., IFC Daily Execution, IFC Certification Reviews).
• Evaluate Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs), change requests, and new capability insertions for IFC impacts; provide clear recommendations to program leadership and configuration control boards.
• Develop a strategic IFC roadmap for the program/mission area, aligning interface evolution with planned capability increments.
• Lead root‑cause investigations for IFC‑related anomalies in lab and field environments; drive corrective actions and verification of fixes.
• Prepare and deliver IFC certification packages, including technical rationale, test evidence, risks/limitations, and formal recommendations.
• Identify IFC‑related technical risks and opportunities; maintain and communicate mitigation plans.
• Provide technical mentoring to junior and mid‑level systems engineers in IFC Management, integration, and interface analysis.
• Influence program strategy and planning by providing IFC insights into staffing, schedule, and technical risk.
• Work closely with Program Management, Chief Engineers, SE IPT leads, Software, Hardware, and Operations to ensure IFC work is integrated with broader program objectives.
• Represent IFC topics in program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, demos) and customer meetings, providing clear, concise technical status and recommendations.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline (e.g., Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering) with typically 9+ years of related experience; or a Master’s degree with 7+ years; or PhD with 4+ years.
• Demonstrated experience in Systems Engineering with a focus on interface control, integration.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; ability to quickly understand complex system interactions and define valid solution sets.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create clear technical documentation and present to technical and program leadership.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as an IFC Lead, Integration Lead, or senior SE on complex aerospace/defense systems.
• Experience with IFC certification processes, accelerated release paths (e.g., AIR), and configuration control boards.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop engineers and influence cross‑functional teams without direct authority.
• Experience working with international Customers.

Salary and Benefits

• Primary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00
• 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.
• 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.