Sr. Staff Engineer – MS IPT Development Lead

Northrop Grumman; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 192,800 - 289,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Company-paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo, CA, seeks a Mission Systems IPT Development Lead to guide a ~50‑person team within the Avionic Integration Organization. You will drive development across all project phases, provide technical mentorship, and coordinate with program management and suppliers to ensure successful outcomes.

The role requires strong leadership, a STEM background, and an active DoD clearance with the ability to obtain Top Secret/SCI; onsite work in California is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM and 14+ years of related engineering experience, or Master/PhD with reduced years.
• Proven leadership and strong communication across all levels of the organization.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) for labor/material/subcontract accounts.
• Experience leading a technical team in a complex program.
• Active DoD Secret or higher clearance; ability to obtain Top Secret/SCI clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead MS IPT Development team performance through all project phases from proposals to closeout.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to a ~50 person multi-disciplinary team.
• Serve as MS IPT focal to Program Management for technical, cost, and schedule reporting.
• Provide CAM oversight for labor and subcontract accounts and forecast accuracy.
• Manage staffing with IPT leadership to ensure skilled, sufficient personnel.
• Perform risk and opportunity management with mitigation tracking.
• Coordinate with Supplier Management to monitor supplier performance.
• Define and execute design vision with engineers, suppliers, and customers.
• Drive first-time quality and promote technical rigor within the team.
• Assist in capturing future development work and bid opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

EVM

Team leadership

Risk management

Clearance readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Job description

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available.

Clearance

Required for start: Yes.
Type: Secret.

Travel

Yes, 25% 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for Mission Systems Integrated Product Team (MS IPT) Development Lead to join the team of qualified individuals on our Avionic Integration Organization. This leadership role is located onsite in Rancho Bernardo, California.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for team performance of all MS IPT scope and activities within the Development portfolio through all project phases (e.g., proposals, planning, execution, & closeout)
• Provide technical guidance, leadership and mentorship to a multi‑disciplinary team of approximately 50 people to ensure team success across all levels
• Serve as MS IPT focal to Program Management team for Technical, Cost, and Schedule Reporting
• Provide Control Account Manager (CAM) oversight for MS IPT Development team, including labor and material (subcontractor labor) control accounts, and support monthly Business Rhythm by ensuring accurate EAC forecasting
• Manage staffing in collaboration with the IPT leadership team to ensure sufficient staff levels and appropriate skillsets are available to execute the Development statement of work
• Perform risk and opportunity management, including developing and tracking mitigation plans
• Coordinate with Supplier Management Teams to manage supplier performance
• Collaborate with Chief Engineer, IPTs, suppliers, customer and Program Management to define and execute design vision for future Development capabilities
• Drive first‑time quality across Development design and promote a culture of technical rigor within the Engineering team
• Assist in capture of future development work through bid of future proposed efforts
• Ensure contractual requirements are met for Mission Systems Engineering team, including timely update and submittal of deliverables of various CDRLs
• Lead technical anomaly resolution, including adjudication of findings to current and future builds, leading internal and external technical change/review coordination, and sign‑off on Development change boards/ECPs for the IPT

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 14 years of related engineering experience; OR Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 12 years of related engineering experience; OR PhD in a STEM discipline and 10 years of related engineering experience.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to work effectively in a team environment and possess effective communication and presentation skills to all levels (individual contributor up to executive leadership, customer representatives, or supplier personnel)
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) of labor or material or subcontract labor accounts
• Experience leading a technical team
• Experience in Risk and Opportunity Management
• Active DoD Secret or higher clearance (background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled in Continuous Evaluation)
• Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Active DoD Top Secret clearance with current SCI and/or SAP
• Experience with developing, preparing and defending proposal bids for technical programs
• Certified CAM experience
• Experience in a technical leadership role as IPT/sub‑IPT lead or technical/thread lead in systems engineering, vehicle engineering, avionics, software, electronics, or mission payloads
• Experience in system‑level/hardware‑in‑the‑loop integration/test, and/or other development activities
• Demonstrated championing of technical change resulting in performance improvements and/or team efficiencies
• Familiarity with HALE ISR UAV programs (Triton, RQ‑4)

Salary & Benefits

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 – $289,200.00. The above range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers, including 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 reward individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long‑Term Incentives. Northrop Grumman also provides benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, company‑paid holidays, and paid time off for vacation and/or personal business.

Application Information

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the posting date, though this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and availability of qualified candidates.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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 a 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.