Principal Systems Engineer/ Sr. Principal Systems Engineer
- Location:
- Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees are Defining Possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will allow you to work together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines.
Northrop Grumman Space Systems has an opening for a Principal/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer to join our Maritime Targeting Cell deployable team at our Aurora, CO site. The Maritime Targeting Cell (MTC) develops DoD afloat, mobile and ground-based systems solutions for multi-domain system integration to demonstrate integrated, secure data delivery and information synthesis at tactical edge of combat.
The MTC Design team is composed of systems engineers and design engineers who can decompose requirements and system use cases into lower-level requirements and behaviors, synthesize design of hardware or software to meet requirements, and produce design artifacts for guidance to other teams.
What You’ll get to Do:
Performs technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost and risk, and supportability and effectiveness analyses for total systems. Analyses are performed at all levels of total system product to include: concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal. Ensures the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total systems solutions that acknowledge technical, schedule, and cost constraints. Performs functional analysis, timeline analysis, detail trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware and software specifications. Maintain existing operations procedures up-to-date to also include lessons learned from real-time performance. Develop new procedures as required. Interface with program and customer personnel.
This requisition may be filled at a higher job grade based on the qualification listed below.
This requisition may be filled as either a Principal or Sr. Principal Systems Engineer.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Systems Engineer:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or other STEM related degree with 5 years of relevant experience; 3 years with a Masters; 0 years with a PhD.
- Active Top Secret/SCI clearance at time of application and willingness to sit for a polygraph.
- Experience with Requirement Specifications and Interface Control Document development.
- Understanding of systems engineering "V" and how it relates to product development.
- Experience in gathering requirements, leading exercises, or demonstrations.
- Definition of test requirements and technical review of procedures.
- Ability to interface with program and customer personnel.
- Familiarity with Mission Operations Centers architectures and interfaces.
- Strong written and oral communications skills
Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Systems Engineer:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or other STEM related degree with 8 years of relevant experience; 6 years with a Masters; 4 years with a PhD.
- Active Top Secret/SCI clearance at time of application and willingness to sit for a polygraph.
- Experience with Requirement Specifications and Interface Control Document development.
- Understanding of systems engineering "V" and how it relates to product development.
- Experience in gathering requirements, leading exercises, or demonstrations.
- Definition of test requirements and technical review of procedures experience.
- Ability to interface with program and customer personnel.
- Familiarity with Mission Operations Centers architectures and interfaces.
- Strong written and oral communications skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- Active Top Secret/SCI with poly
- Detailed familiarity with space system operational documentation.
- Understanding of risk management processes and how systems engineering decisions mitigate risk
- Demonstrated potential to mentor newer members of the operations team.
- Experience working on Agile programs and methodology.
- Understanding and implementation of Model Based Systems Engineering