Top Secret Space Systems Engineer: Mission Architect

Northrop Grumman; Virginia; On-site; USD 92,000 - 138,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia, is seeking an experienced Space Systems Engineer to join our growing team. You will work on cross-disciplinary spacecraft and mission systems from architecture through on-orbit operations, collaborating with GNC, software, payload, and ground teams to deliver resilient space capabilities.

The ideal candidate will bring substantial experience in spacecraft engineering, mission design, or operations, and possess the ability to develop and verify

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 2+ years of related experience.
• Requires active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance at time of application.
• Experience supporting spacecraft design, integration, or space missions.
• Ability to communicate complex engineering information clearly to teams and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop spacecraft and mission architectures, CONOPS, and operational scenarios.
• Perform mission analyses, trade studies, and optimization.
• Define interfaces and manage requirements across subsystems and partners.
• Support spacecraft integration, test, launch readiness, and on-orbit operations.
• Translate complex engineering data into concise technical briefings for leadership.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements development

Interface control

Technical documentation

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree

Tools

Python

MATLAB

STK

Job description

Northrop Grumman Space Systems in Dulles, Virginia, is seeking an experienced Space Systems Engineer to join our growing team. You will work on cross-disciplinary spacecraft and mission systems from architecture through on-orbit operations, collaborating with GNC, software, payload, and ground teams to deliver resilient space capabilities.

The ideal candidate will bring substantial experience in spacecraft engineering, mission design, or operations, and possess the ability to develop and verify