Staff Engineering Program Manager Airborne Navigation Systems

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA, seeks a Staff Engineering Program Manager to lead engineering for airborne navigation systems, partnering with managers and IPTs to deliver on cost, schedule, and technical commitments.

The role emphasizes EVM, CAM responsibilities, and rigorous reviews, with a strong focus on safety-critical software and system integration across the lifecycle. This is a full-time, on-site position requiring US citizenship.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in STEM with 12+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 10+ years; PhD with 8+ years; US Citizenship.
• Ability to obtain/maintain US Government Secret clearance.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams and as an engineering leader on complex programs.
• Deep experience in systems development, integration, and test across full lifecycle for complex electronics or avionics.

Responsibilities

• Engineeering across the full program lifecycle for airborne navigation systems.
• Ensure engineering work meets MIL‑STD‑810, DO‑178, MIL‑STD‑882 and DO‑229 requirements.
• Serve as primary engineering interface to Program Manager, Chief Engineer and functional orgs.
• Develop and defend engineering estimates, BOEs; oversee CAM responsibilities and IMS maintenance.
• Support schedule and financial updates; lead P&L reviews; use metrics for decisions.
• Develop staffing plans and resource forecasts with functional managers.
• Identify and mitigate program execution risks and opportunities across IPTs.
• Ensure adherence to Northrop Grumman processes and major reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems development

Cost management

Schedule management

Risk management

EVM

Staffing planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

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

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 innovate 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 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

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. DO‑229 GPS integrity certification and performance requirements. 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.

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.