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Principal/Sr. Principal Propulsion Engineer

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 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, 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 is currently seeking a Principal Propulsion Engineer or Sr. Principal Propulsion Engineer to join our team at our Palm Beach Gardens, Florida location to support the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit.

Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid-propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton PS&C facility designs, develops, and produces solid-propellant propulsion, ordnance and motion controls systems in programs professionally managed for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

This position will perform thermo-structural analysis simulation and modeling efforts under the guidance of a Staff Engineer to support design activities across all Northrop Grumman, Propulsion Systems and Controls, Elkton Operations product lines. These simulations include development of thermo-structural models, gridding, selection of boundary conditions and constraints, selection of applicable material properties, selection of proper simulation code and methodology.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Develop analytical approaches to assist in the resolution of unique structural/thermostructural mechanics issues.  Assist in design effort of test articles to provide necessary data for full scale applications. Provide structural mechanics, material specialist services to IPT working group
  • Taking role in developing methodologies, interpretation of analytical results, and recommendations for design improvement.
  • Preparation of technical reports and presentations of work product to both internal and external customers.
  • Provide technical assessments of test hardware and test data
  • Development of material models for thermal or structural analyses efforts. Assist in development of material test plans, selection of test methods, test data analysis to support material modeling efforts.
  • Lead analytical services in support of failure investigations: developing fault trees, developing approaches and providing analytical efforts to assess fault causes
  • Assist project team in design of experiments testing to provide necessary data to support detailed analyses
  • Form close working relationships with internal and external customer technical community and specific customer technical points of contact
  • Ability to organize, preserve, and manage engineering data, design documentation, and models to ensure they remain searchable, secure, and accessible for future redesigns, manufacturing, or analysis.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Engineer (level 3):

  • Requires Bachelors in Engineering & 5 years of experience or Master’s Degree in Engineering & 3 years of experience or a PhD & one year of experience
  • Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance which requires US Citizenship as a pre-requisite

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Engineer (level 4):

  • Requires Bachelors in Engineering & 8 years of experience or Master’s Degree in Engineering & 6 years of experience or a PhD & 4 years of experience
  • Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance which requires US Citizenship as a pre-requisite

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Thermal analytical simulation of air-breathing engines is very desirable; experience with rocket motors is a plus.
  • ANSYS mechanical experience is very desirable.
  • Applicable experience in performing metals and composite materials thermal/structural analysis
  • Experience with high and low cycle fatigue as well as damage tolerance using NASGRO or equivalent
  • Knowledge of nonlinear material properties and implementation using FEA
  • Personality fit with existing staff, demonstrates leadership skills
  • Personal poise, demonstrated ability to prepare and present analytical results in both oral and written formats
  • Critical thinking skills, logical approaches, attention to detail

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00

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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