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Principal OR Senior Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer

Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add a Principal OR Senior Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer to our Mayport Field Service Engineer team. This position will be in our Avionics Integration Organization supporting MQ-4C Triton Program.

This position reports to the Operations team lead within the Mission Systems Integrated Product Team (MS IPT) and will receive daily tasking and prioritization from their site lead. The selected candidate will be responsible for operations and maintenance support of the MQ-4C Triton sensors and communications systems at a Forward Operating Base (FOB).

Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Provide real time support to flight operations and maintenance, addressing any issues related to communications and/or payloads to include MFAS Radar, EO/IR, airborne recorder, and link16 to include fault isolation, remediation, and resolution
  • Coordinate work with site leadership and confirming that Maintenance Action Forms (MAFs) are in place for all required work
  • Adhere to checklists and procedures to ensure repeated success and providing redlines to procedures when necessary
  • Communicate complex technical issues to local support, the Degrader Action Cell (DAC), Main Operation Bases (MOBs), and Responsible Engineers (REs)
  • Support and lead air crew engagement for proper techniques in solving complex analysis of technical problems that arise during operations
  • Assist with trend analysis as needed for Responsible Engineers (REs)
  • Assist AVO with Main Operating Base comms (voice), networks, and other AVO interfaces
  • Attain and employ expertise across all supported sensor and communications systems

** This position requires 6+ months of training on a Domestic Assignment to San Diego (Rancho Bernardo), CA with some travel to other US locations such as Baltimore, MD and Jacksonville, FL. Final assignment location in Mayport, Florida. **

Initially, this position will work a 9/80 shift. As the program matures, the shifts may become 12-hour shifts that could include nights, weekends, and/or holidays.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at the designated facility. There is no remote work available for this role. Outside of traveling for initial training, this position requires the ability to travel up to 10% of the time.

This position can be filled at either the Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer OR Senior Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer, depending upon the qualifications below.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline with 1 year of related engineering experience.
  • Willingness and ability to successfully complete required training in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo), CA with some travel to other US locations such as Baltimore, MD and Jacksonville, FL.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, Security+CE, CCNP, and CISSP. This certificate must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
  • Competence in Linux, troubleshooting, engineering documents, tools, and equipment
  • Familiarity with payloads operations and/or comms/networking operations
  • Must have a DoD Secret clearance that is in-scope or currently enrolled in Continuous Evaluation (CE), with the ability to obtain a Top-Secret/SCI clearance within a reasonable amount of time to meet business needs
  • Ability to obtain and maintain program access (SAP/PAR).

Basic Qualifications for Senior Principal Payloads Field Service Engineer:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline with 3 years of related engineering experience.
  • Willingness and ability to successfully complete required training in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo), CA with some travel to other US locations such as Baltimore, MD and Jacksonville, FL.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, Security+CE, CCNP, and CISSP. This certificate must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
  • Competence in Linux, troubleshooting, engineering documents, tools, and equipment
  • Familiarity with payloads operations and/or comms/networking operations
  • Must have a DoD Secret clearance that is in-scope or currently enrolled in Continuous Evaluation (CE), with the ability to obtain a Top-Secret/SCI clearance within a reasonable amount of time to meet business needs
  • Ability to obtain and maintain program access (SAP/PAR).

Preferred Qualifications for both levels:

  • Active DoD Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
  • Active DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, Security+CE, CCNP, and CISSP.
  • Demonstrated understanding of MQ-4C sensors and communications payloads
  • Experience with test equipment: network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators
  • MPO/TC operator system knowledge
  • System Administrator experience
  • Operations and Maintenance experience at a field site

Primary Level Salary Range: $78,700.00 - $118,100.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $98,100.00 - $147,100.00

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.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States, building advanced systems across space, air, land, sea, and cyber domains. The company is known for some of the most complex defense programs in the world, including stealth aircraft, autonomous systems, missile defense technologies, satellites, and space-based intelligence platforms that support U.S. national security operations.

For job seekers, Northrop Grumman offers careers across a wide range of high-impact fields including aerospace engineering, software development, cybersecurity, systems engineering, manufacturing, program management, and intelligence support. The company is especially attractive to veterans, cleared professionals, and engineers who want to work on mission-critical systems that directly support the Department of Defense and intelligence community. Many roles involve long-term programs with significant technical depth and real-world operational impact.

Unlike smaller defense startups focused on narrow capabilities, Northrop Grumman operates across multiple major mission areas, giving employees exposure to highly advanced programs such as stealth platforms, space systems, autonomous vehicles, and next-generation command-and-control systems. The company is also a major leader in classified space and intelligence systems, where cutting-edge engineering and secure infrastructure play a critical role in national defense.

As global competition in space, cyber, and advanced military systems continues to intensify, Northrop Grumman remains one of the most strategically important employers in the defense industry. For professionals seeking stable, highly technical careers with long-term impact on national security, Northrop Grumman continues to stand out as a leading destination in aerospace and defense.

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