Systems Engineer Level 5 - Program Engineering Lead

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 153,000 - 229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Company paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking an experienced engineering leader to oversee execution of complex hardware/software programs. You will manage scope, cost, schedule, and lead cross-functional IPTs across engineering, program management, manufacturing, and mission assurance.

The role requires a DoD Secret clearance, strong earned value management expertise, and a proven track record in risk mitigation and milestone delivery in both classified and unclassified environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience, master’s with 10, or Ph.D. with 8 in STME fields.
• US Citizenship is required.
• Active DoD Secret security clearance required.
• Multi-disciplinary engineering leadership on complex hardware/software systems.
• Experience as CAM or equivalent for scope, cost, and schedule.
• PV/EVM principles and metrics understanding.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing engineering team on a fast-paced program.
• Collaborate with Engineering Leads, PM, Manufacturing, and Mission Assurance.
• Drive risk mitigation and ensure hardware deliveries and launch readiness.
• Provide technical leadership for executive briefings and program reviews.
• Maintain high standards with meticulous attention to detail and clear communication.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Effective communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk management

Earned Value Management

Education

Bachelor's degree + 12 years experience

Master's degree + 10 years experience

Ph.D. + 8 years experience

Tools

DOORS

Jama

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.

Role Overview

You will be responsible for engineering execution including the technical, cost, and schedule performance of engineering scope. You will collaborate with the engineering groups to understand and implement the program goals to support overall program success. You will work with your team leads to understand risks, drive technical solutions and identify and execute risk mitigation activities. You will monitor engineering performance (milestones, staffing, earned value) and lead variance analysis and recovery planning with Program Management and Business Management. The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience interacting with diverse teams, communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, and operating successfully within both classified and unclassified environments.

What You’ll Get To Do

• Lead a High-Performing Team: Coordinate an engineering team in a high-visibility and fast-paced program environment.
• Collaborate with diverse groups including Engineering Leads, Program Management, Manufacturing, and Mission Assurance teams.
• Solve Complex Challenges and Launch Targets: Apply your organizational and technical problem-solving skills to ensure successful hardware deliveries as well as serve as the vehicle manager during launch campaigns.
• Communicate at all Levels: Provide technical leadership and support for internal and external executive briefings, including program updates, engineering reviews, and risk management discussions.
• Maintain High Standards: Thrive in a high-expectation environment, demonstrating initiative, meticulous attention to detail, and polished verbal and written communication skills.

Roles and Responsibilities

Leadership and Team Management: Serve as the technical and leadership authority for the engineering team, delivering on challenging performance, schedule, and cost objectives. Engage, inspire, and guide cross-functional teams to achieve program milestones, ensuring clear communication and strong alignment across all stakeholders. Proactively manage team assignments, workloads, mentorship, and collaboration across internal teams and external partnerships. Lead long-range hardware development planning to support technology maturation and new capability development, ground and flight test activities, and software qualification and deployment.

Stakeholder Management and Communication: Serve as the primary technical interface for internal and external stakeholders, preparing and delivering clear communication on risks, trade-offs, decisions, and successes. Partner with internal program management and external stakeholders to align technical requirements and delivery schedules with program milestones. Foster collaborative, trust-based relationships with internal and external partners to maintain alignment and ensure mission success.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience, master's degree with 10 years of experience or Ph.D. with 8 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Must have an active DoD Secret security clearance.
• Demonstrated multi-disciplinary engineering leadership on complex hardware/ software integrated systems.
• Proven experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) or equivalent role, responsible for scope, cost, and schedule.
• Working knowledge and practical application of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles and metrics (e.g., CPI, SPI, variance analysis).
• Experience leading or co-leading Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) or cross-functional technical teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing and delivering technical presentations to internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant experience with missile systems or other launch/flight vehicles (e.g., tactical or strategic missiles, interceptors, sounding rockets, or space launch).
• Familiarity with range and range safety requirements, processes, and interfaces (e.g., Eastern/Western Range, flight safety analyses, flight termination systems).
• Experience supporting or leading missile launches, including pre-launch integration, test, countdown, and post-flight assessment.
• Background in mission planning and mission execution for missile or launch systems, including trajectory design, constraints, and operational considerations.
• Experience with integration & test (I&T) of complex flight hardware and software, including hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) and system-level testing.
• Knowledge of requirements development and management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama) and configuration management practices.
• Familiarity with government and industry standards relevant to missile and launch systems (e.g., MIL-STDs, range safety directives, flight safety criteria).

Benefits

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.

We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Salary

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards Primary Level Salary Range: $152,900.00 - $229,300.00 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.

Application Period

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.

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 our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO.

Eligibility and Clearance

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Company Culture

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.