Staff Engineering Program Manager Airborne Navigation Systems

Northrop Grumman; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Company paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA is seeking a Staff Engineering Program Manager (EPM) to lead engineering execution for airborne navigation systems and safety‑critical capabilities. You will partner with Program Managers, Chief Engineers, and IPTs to deliver on cost, schedule, and technical commitments.

This full‑time, on‑site role requires leading multi‑disciplinary teams, risk management, and compliance with DoD standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or related technical field with 12+ years of related experience
• Master’s with 10+ years; or PhD with 8+ years
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret clearance
• Extensive experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams on complex programs
• Experience with EVM, CAM responsibilities, and cost/schedule management for engineering scope
• Familiarity with defense electronic systems and DoD lifecycle processes

Responsibilities

• Lead cost, schedule, and execution of all engineering scope on the program
• Ensure engineering rigor and compliance with MIL‑STD‑810, DO‑178, MIL‑STD‑882, DO‑229
• Interface with Program Manager, Chief Engineer, and IPTs
• Develop staffing plans and Work Load Forecasts
• Identify and mitigate program risks and opportunities
• Maintain IMS, earned value status, and total cost estimates

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems development

Cost & schedule management

EVM & CAM responsibilities

DoD standards familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master’s degree (MS/MEng)

PhD in STEM

Tools

DoD standards docs

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No
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.

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. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA has been providing navigation and inertial measurement technology for over 60 years. Our solutions are deployed from undersea to deep space, including on James Webb Space Telescope and missions on Mars. We look for people with bold 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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Staff Engineering Program Manager (EPM) in Woodland Hills, CA. This role leads engineering execution for airborne navigation systems with strong emphasis on developing safety‑critical capabilities. You will partner closely with Program Managers, Chief Engineers, discipline functional engineering management, and other support organizations to deliver on cost, schedule, and technical commitments.

This is a full‑time, on‑site role in Woodland Hills, CA.

What You’ll Get To Do

The EPM is accountable for cost, schedule, and execution of all engineering scope on the program and ensures work is completed within approved budget and contractual boundaries across all IPTs.

Key Responsibilities

• Engineering execution across the full program lifecycle (capture through delivery) for airborne navigation systems.
• Ensure engineering execution meets the applicable level of rigor and aligns with standards including MIL‑STD‑810 for environmental qualification, DO‑178 and MIL‑STD‑882 for safety‑critical software development, and DO‑229 for GPS integrity certification.
• Serve as the primary engineering interface to the Program Manager, Chief Engineer, and functional organizations (Systems, Software, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, Supply Chain).
• Develop, review, and defend engineering proposal estimates and BOEs;
• Oversee CAM responsibilities for engineering scope, rolling wave planning, budget allocation, Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) maintenance, earned value status, and estimating total costs to complete efforts.
• Support schedule and financial updates, lead engineering Page and Line (P&L) reviews, and drive data‑informed decisions using program metrics.
• Develop staffing plans and Work Load Forecasts (WLF) and partner with functional managers to project and secure resources.
• Proactively identify, communicate, and burn down program execution risk, driving risk/issue/opportunity handling plans across IPTs.
• Develop and execute risk mitigation plans and return‑to‑green plans for efforts on the program at risk of not meeting their baseline cost, schedule, or technical targets.
• Ensure adherence to Northrop Grumman and customer engineering processes, configuration management, and rigorous entry/exit criteria for major reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).

Basic Qualifications – Staff EPM

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or related technical field with 12+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 10+ years; or PhD with 8+ years
• U.S. Citizenship.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Extensive experience leading multi‑disciplinary engineering teams and serving as an engineering leader (e.g., EPM or IPT Lead) on complex programs.
• Deep experience in systems development, integration, and test across the full lifecycle for complex electronic or avionics systems.
• Demonstrated experience with EVM, CAM responsibilities, and management of cost, schedule, and technical performance for engineering scope.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across functions, sites, and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience using metrics to drive program decisions and outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a STEM or related technical field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent
• Active U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret clearance.
• Experience with airborne navigation systems, avionics, or safety‑critical aerospace systems, including:
• MIL‑STD‑810 environmental qualification.
• DO‑178 and MIL‑STD‑882 for safety‑critical software development and safety analyses.
• Domain expertise in defense electronic systems (RF, EW, communications, sensors, or avionics).
• Working knowledge of DoD systems engineering standards and lifecycle processes.
• Prior experience as an EPM, IPT Lead, or similar engineering leadership role.
• CAM certification and experience with ETCs, CEACs, and IBRs.
• Familiarity with Northrop Grumman processes and demonstrated success through proposals, BOE generation, program start‑up, and major reviews.

Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00

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.