Sr. Principal System Engineer - USAF IFC Manager

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to lead IFC management and interface analysis for a major program in Rancho Bernardo, CA. The role requires strong systems engineering background, certification planning, and leadership in a complex defense environment.

You will mentor junior engineers, coordinate with program management and IPT leads, and represent IFC topics in SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and customer meetings while ensuring technical status and risk

Qualifications

• Bachelors in STEM with 9+ years of related experience; or Masters with 7+ years; or PhD with 4+ years.
• Experience in Systems Engineering with a focus on interface control and integration.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to understand complex system interactions.

Responsibilities

• 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 and reviews.
• Develop a strategic IFC roadmap for the program aligned with capability increments.
• Provide technical mentoring to junior and mid-level systems engineers.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Interface control

Analytical thinking

Written/Verbal communication

US clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

IFC certification processes

ECP evaluation

Job 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 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.

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.
• Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).

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.

Primary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00 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.

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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.