Systems Engineering Manager Level 1

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 121,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman seeks a Systems Engineering Manager - Level 1 for our Colorado Springs, CO facility. Lead a world-class SE organization, overseeing requirements, architecture, integration, test and verification across multiple programs.

The role blends both functional management (~15%) and technical leadership (~85%) within a strong, ethics-driven environment. You will manage two or more sites, drive rigorous analysis, mentor staff, and engage with customers to ensure mission success, cost

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, or advanced degree, in a STEM field with experience.
• Active U.S. Government Secret clearance is required.
• Proven leadership of cross‑functional teams on complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead SE strategy across requirements, architecture, integration, and verification.
• Oversee SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and sell-off activities and customer engagement.
• Mentor staff, manage multi-site teams, and drive staffing and career development.

Skills

Systems engineering leadership

Requirements engineering

Cross-functional leadership

Technical communication

Verification planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM fields

Master’s degree (advantageous)

PhD (advantageous)

Tools

MBSE

SysML

DOORS

Jama

Cameo/MagicDraw

Job description

Systems Engineering Manager - Level 1

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 is seeking Systems Engineering Manager - Level 1 to join our team located in Colorado Springs, CO (airport facility - COCO1).

In this job, you will; Provide the technical and functional leadership needed to establish and maintain a world class Systems Engineering organization, supporting multiple divisions and programs across a wide portfolio. The role will have responsibility for the oversight of development, design, integration, test and implementation of state‑of‑the‑art solutions in support of WR programs and campaigns, as well as research and technology development. The Systems Engineering Manager level 1 provides technical leadership and people management across two or more sites, owning systems engineering execution from requirements development through formal sell‑off under tight cost and schedule constraints. The lead will drive rigorous analysis and verification, and sustains common requirements baseline across sites to enable future development and sustainment in a strong matrix environment. The successful candidate will clearly demonstrate strong leadership skills to manage, recruit, and retain employees. The candidate will have a track record as an effective communicator and problem solver who is able to develop and maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. This candidate will demonstrate a commitment to ethics and integrity, and the capability to innovate. Demonstrated abilities to build diverse and inclusive teams with high levels of engagement, including mentoring and coaching, are a must. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. This is a dual role encompassing both functional management (~15%) and technical performance (~85%) on a specific program.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Lifecycle Leadership

The Section Manager will generally be responsible for 10-15 technical staff members, and the success of their program execution. Serve as the Systems Engineering technical lead for a suite of ground radar sites. Own the systems engineering strategy from requirements and architecture through integration, analysis selloff, and formal verification/validation. Balance cost and schedule while maintaining engineering rigor and mission assurance for space-related ground systems. Institutionalize review discipline, knowledge sharing, and reuse of SE processes and artifacts across sites.

Requirements & Architecture Leadership

Capture customer discussions and clarify requirement intent; lead the team from SRR through TRR and stable system solution. Lead requirements cleanup and rationalization via trade studies and change packages, resolving ambiguity and improving testability while protecting cost/schedule. Maintain common requirements baseline across multiple DARC sites and future sites/sustainment, reducing requirements management and regression test overhead. Perform functional analysis, timeline analysis, requirements allocation, interface definition, and trade studies to translate mission needs into hardware and software specifications.

Analysis, Verification & Sell Off

Develop and lead analysis-based sell‑off, enforcing core engineering rigor and disciplined reviews. Define and manage verification strategies, ensuring traceable closure of requirements via analysis, test, inspection, and demonstration.

Technical Reviews & Customer Engagement

Plan and lead successful SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and sell‑off/acceptance reviews by aligning teams on clear technical and requirements paths. Serve as the primary SE point of contact for assigned DARC sites, communicating requirement intent, design trades, and verification approaches. Present complex topics and analysis results succinctly to customers, program leadership, and functional management.

Team Leadership & People Management

Lead a multi‑site systems engineering team; provide tasking, technical direction, and review of SE work products. Conduct performance management, mentoring, and career development for direct reports; support staffing, succession planning, and skills development.

Cross‑Functional Coordination

Partner with Program Managers to align technical scope, staffing, risks, and opportunities with program objectives and constraints. Coordinate with IPTs, subsystem, software, and I&T teams to ensure cohesive, integrated system solutions. Lead change control and impact assessments across requirements, design, and verification baselines.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM discipline. along with 5 years of experience OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of professional experience
• Must have an active US Government Secret security clearance
• Demonstrated advanced systems engineering leadership on complex, mission‑critical systems (ground, space, or similarly complex integrated systems) across the full lifecycle—from requirements development and architecture through integration, verification/validation, and formal sell‑off/acceptance.
• Recognized technical authority with a proven track record of leading cross‑functional teams (often in a strong matrix environment) to converge on stable technical baselines, resolve complex technical issues, and make/drive technical decisions.
• Deep experience in requirements engineering (definition, decomposition, traceability, and change control), including resolving ambiguity via trade studies and change packages to improve clarity, testability, and verification strategy.
• Experience developing and executing verification strategies and closure plans (analysis/test/inspection/demonstration) with disciplined technical reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and documented rationale/evidence suitable for customer review and audit.
• Strong communication skills with demonstrated ability to brief technical approaches, trade results, and verification evidence to customer stakeholders and program/engineering leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with space domain ground systems or mission systems similar to DARC.
• Familiarity with MBSE / SysML and requirements tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama, Cameo/MagicDraw).
• Prior experience establishing common baselines across multiple sites or configurations.
• Experience with government customers and supporting proposals, captures, or gate reviews.

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. 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.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards #SPEnhancedERAP Primary Level Salary Range: $121,000.00 - $181,400.00 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.

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.