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Principal or Sr Principal Engineer Electrical

San Diego, California, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems MQ-4 Triton Program seeks a Principal or Sr. Principal Engineer Electrical to support the Vehicle Management Subsystem's Hardware Avionics team in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

The Hardware Avionics group is seeking a Computer Hardware Engineer to support the production, repair, and development of the Vehicle Management Computer (Flight Computer).

The role is dynamic as members of the team handle a broad range of activities across multiple phases of the program to include development, production, and operational support. Some of those responsibilities are:

  • Integrate flight computer hardware, accounting for capabilities/limitations, defining interfaces, and incorporating required redundancy.

  • Conduct investigations, system testing, and flight testing in lab environments.

  • Provide remote and on-site troubleshooting for Production and Field issues.

  • Support proposal development, technical planning, verification & validation, cost & risk analysis, and trade studies.

  • Ensure the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total system solutions that balance technical, schedule, and cost constraints.  

This position can be filled at either the Principal Engineer or Senior Principal Engineer level.

 

Basic Qualifications: 

  • Basic qualifications for a Principal Engineer Electrical include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 5 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 3 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with no experience.

  • Basic qualifications for a Sr. Principal Engineer Electrical include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 8 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 6 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 3 years of experience.

  • Ability to obtain a DOD Secret clearance

  • Experience with the following SW Tools: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project, Visio), Matlab

  • Experience with computer hardware and embedded operating systems

  • Familiarity with software architecture

 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Degree type: Electrical or Computer Engineering

  • Active DoD Secret security clearance or higher

  • Comprehensive knowledge of computer hardware and embedded operating systems

  • Experience with system redundancy and associated safety analysis

  • Familiarity with databuses and related protocols, such as MIL-STD-1553, RS-485, ARINC-429

  • Experience performing system-level design/troubleshooting

  • Experience with test equipment (oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, multimeters)

  • Flight Test experience: Some experience

  • Supplier management: Some experience

  • Requirements development:   Some experience

  • Requirements verification testing: Some experience

Primary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00

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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