Sr Principal Test Engineer (IPTL) (AHT)

Northrop Grumman; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems in Northridge, CA seeks a Sr Principal Test Engineer – IPTL to lead tests for the AARGM-ER program. This onsite role supports lab testing, flight campaigns, and government facility coordination with a DoD Secret clearance.

The position requires a STEM degree with extensive flight-test, system integration, and test planning experience; strong leadership and coordination with internal/external customers is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and 8 years of related testing experience or Master’s degree and 6 years of experience or PhD and 4 years of experience.
• Hands-on experience with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, DMMs, signal generators, and power supplies.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical schematics.
• Experience with flight software and system architecture.
• Proven background in flight-test engineering, system integration, qualification testing, and requirements tracking.
• Active DoD Secret clearance at the time of hire.

Responsibilities

• Work with internal and external customers to define and document instrumentation, data requirements, and test planning—including acquisition, processing, and analysis—to satisfy test objectives.
• Partner with the Cost Account Manager (CAM) to ensure budget needs are met and Earned-Value-Management (EVM) estimates (EACs) are accurate.
• Integrate Circuit Card Assemblies (CCAs) and Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs) into higher-level systems using schematics and wiring diagrams.
• Create, validate, and verify test plans, procedures, and test reports in accordance with program standards.
• Lead the engineering team that supports software and programmable-logic integration for formal test events.
• Plan, organize, and manage hardware requirements for both in-house and external test environments, ensuring all equipment is available and functional.
• Chair test-readiness reviews for internal events such as Formal Qualification Tests, captive-carriage trials, and live-fire tests.
• Attend external test events (flight clearances, captive-carriage, live-fire) and perform the necessary setup, data acquisition, and post-test activities.
• Serve as the CAM representative, presenting cost, schedule, technical risks, and opportunities to senior leadership.
• Perform software and programmable-logic integration using spread-bench, short-round, and specialized test equipment; troubleshoot issues as needed.
• Provide regular status updates and flag blockers to upper leadership to drive timely resolution.

Skills

Flight software

System integration

Schematic reading

Test engineering

DoD clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

Jira

Bitbucket

Confluence

Crucible

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 Defense Systems is seeking a Sr Principal Test Engineer – Integrated Product Team Lead (IPTL) level 4 to lead projects as part of the AARGM-ER program. This IPT Lead will be a member of the Test & Evaluation (T&E) Integrated Product Team, working alongside engineers, program managers, and the customer supporting lab testing of new Software and flight-test campaigns. The role involves preparing laboratory test events, supporting upcoming flights, and coordinating activities at government facilities.

The qualified candidate will join NorthropGrumman’s Test and Evaluation Engineering department, AdvancedWeapons division, located in Northridge,CA. This position is 100% onsite with no remote or hybrid options. An active DoD Secret clearance is required to start.

Job Responsibilities

• Work with internal and external customers to define and document instrumentation, data requirements, and test planning—including acquisition, processing, and analysis—to satisfy test objectives.
• Partner with the Cost Account Manager (CAM) to ensure budget needs are met and Earned-Value-Management (EVM) estimates (EACs) are accurate.
• Integrate Circuit Card Assemblies (CCAs) and Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs) into higher-level systems using schematics and wiring diagrams.
• Create, validate, and verify test plans, procedures, and test reports in accordance with program standards.
• Lead the engineering team that supports software and programmable-logic integration for formal test events.
• Plan, organize, and manage hardware requirements for both in-house and external test environments, ensuring all equipment is available and functional.
• Chair test-readiness reviews for internal events such as Formal Qualification Tests, captive-carriage trials, and live-fire tests.
• Attend external test events (flight clearances, captive-carriage, live-fire) and perform the necessary setup, data acquisition, and post-test activities.
• Serve as the CAM representative, presenting cost, schedule, technical risks, and opportunities to senior leadership.
• Perform software and programmable-logic integration using spread-bench, short-round, and specialized test equipment; troubleshoot issues as needed.
• Provide regular status updates and flag blockers to upper leadership to drive timely resolution.

Basic Qualifications – Test Engineer4

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and 8 years of related testing experience or Master’s degree and 6 years of experience or PhD and 4 years of experience.
• Hands-on experience with test equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, DMMs, signal generators, and power supplies.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical schematics.
• Experience with flight software and system architecture.
• Proven background in flight-test engineering, system integration, qualification testing, and requirements tracking.
• Active DoD Secret clearance at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading an Integrated Product Team of 5 or more
• Familiarity with PWBs and FPGAs within PL integration and the ability to read schematics
• Risk/Opportunity/Issue management experience related to complex hardware and software subsystems
• Experience with use of DevOps tools such as Jira, BitBucket, Confluence, Crucible, etc.
• Previous work on DoD military development and production programs
• Able to work independently with minimal direction and act as team lead for larger test efforts
• Experience with Cost Account Management (CAM) & EVMS duties and responsibilities
• IPTL experience

Primary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00

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.