System Life Cycle Design & Integration- Fellow 2

Northrop Grumman; Melbourne (FL); On-site; USD 199,000 - 345,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Senior Fellow 2 in a role located on-site at San Diego, El Segundo, or Melbourne, FL. The candidate will lead advanced systems engineering across the lifecycle, driving rigorous, digital engineering practices while coordinating with multi-disciplinary teams.

The role requires a DoD Secret clearance and a track record of technical leadership, architecture assessment, and collaboration with customers and industry partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in STEM with extensive systems engineering experience.
• 15+ years in defense/aerospace environments preferred.
• Expert in model-based engineering and digital engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across the systems engineering lifecycle.
• Assess architectures and system solutions; offer independent recommendations.
• Lead and mentor technical teams to strengthen engineering rigor.

Skills

Systems engineering

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelors in STEM

Masters in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

Cameo

Model Center

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE 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.

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 Northrop Grumman Fellow 2 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering Center of Technical Excellence (CoTE) organization. This role can be located in San Diego, CA, El Segundo, CA or Melbourne, FL. The selected candidate will be required to work full‑time, on‑site at our facility. There is no remote / hybrid / telework available for this position.

This Fellow 2 will serve as the senior technical expert responsible for advancing the discipline of systems engineering across the complete system life cycle, ensuring mission needs remain central to engineering decisions from concept development through system retirement. This role champions systems thinking, technical rigor, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration in a digital ecosystem to enable the successful realization of complex, mission‑critical systems.

The Fellow 2 provides technical leadership and independent engineering insight across the full breadth of systems engineering, connecting mission analysis, stakeholder needs, architecture, requirements, specialty engineering, system realization, verification and validation, production, sustainment, modernization, and disposal into a cohesive engineering approach. Working collaboratively with technical experts across multiple engineering disciplines, this role identifies integration challenges, resolves technical gaps, and promotes consistent application of systems engineering principles throughout the life cycle.

This position serves as a catalyst for technical excellence by advising engineering organizations, shaping systems engineering approaches, and leveraging the expertise of architects, specialty engineers, domain experts, and program systems engineers to strengthen engineering rigor across the enterprise. This role influences engineering outcomes through technical leadership, collaboration, independent assessment, and the integration of diverse engineering perspectives.

Responsibilities

• Shapes the future practice of systems engineering by identifying emerging methods, influencing engineering strategy, mentoring technical leaders, and promoting adoption of proven approaches that improve engineering effectiveness across the organization.
• Provides objective technical assessments of engineering approaches, architectures, and system solutions, offering independent recommendations that strengthen technical integrity, reduce program risk, and improve mission outcomes.
• Drive technical superiority through thought leadership, technology advancement, problem solving and avoidance, and Long-Range Technology Planning (LRSP) full life cycle and integration capability according to established vision and strategy. Oversee multiple Business prioritized projects aimed at the development, implementation, and execution of Industry leading capabilities through all phases of project lifecycle.
• Develop & strengthen relationships to accelerate value realization from with internal and external Customers, Industry, Universities and Laboratories, Professional Societies, Committees, and through corporate outreach. Provide a good face for the Corporation through effective communication.
• Construct a foundation of knowledge through leadership, team building, mentorship, and knowledge sharing.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelors of Science Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline plus 20 years of experience across numerous systems engineering disciplines and life cycle phases OR Masters of Science Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline plus 18 years of experience across numerous systems engineering disciplines and life cycle phases OR PhD in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline plus 15 years of experience across numerous systems engineering disciplines and life cycle phases.
• At least 15 years of professional experience in the defense and aerospace industries.
• Expert in applying model-based methods and contemporary engineering tool environments is expected as a means of enabling rigorous systems engineering to include tools such as Cameo, Model Center, or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to execute systems engineering within a modern digital engineering ecosystem, integrating models, data, analyses, and engineering artifacts to support technically sound, lifecycle-informed decision making.
• Experience within the Aerospace Industry as a technical specialist and thought leader with demonstrated leadership, participation in Professional Societies and/or publications in the areas of Systems Engineering, Mission Engineering, Digital Thread, Digital Engineering, Digital Technology and/or Digital Transformation.
• Demonstrated experience working with customers and senior leadership.
• Position may require domestic travel
• Must possess an active DoD Secret clearance that is in scope or currently enrolled in continuous evaluation, with the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) access as determined by business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a large and diverse group, establish clear expectations, inspire commitment, build teams, value diversity and put people first.
• Demonstrated knowledge and ability to apply systems engineering and lean thinking principles and tools in order to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
• Strong business acumen and a clearly demonstrated commitment to open communication and customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in achieving results through understanding and management of internal processes and customer/supplier relationships.
• Exhibits an exceptional degree of ingenuity, creativity, and resourcefulness.
• Has a network of outside technical contacts within industry, with outside experts in their discipline, and/or has a technical working relationship with a university.

Primary Level Salary Range: $198,800.00 - $345,400.00

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.