Northrop Grumman Space Systems is looking for a Senior Principal Optical Engineer to support the Launch Vehicles organization in Chandler, Arizona.

The Sr. Principal Optical Engineer, will be part of the Seeker IPT, you will utilize your expertise to coordinate multi-disciplinary team efforts to ensure integration and performance at the seeker level and higher systems.

The team is responsible for the development of the design, integration and testing of development and flight hardware, evaluation of performance as it pertains to the algorithms, supporting the development of the seeker test suite, and ensuring representative physics-based models to support algorithm development and 6 DoF.

The selected candidate should thrive in a fast-paced work environment with significantly diverse assignments and collaborative/team settings across all levels.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the efforts between multi-disciplinary teams to ensure an integrated seeker system solution.

• Decompose requirements from performance basis, identify appropriate verification methodology, and evaluate performance of concept and detailed design.

• Interfacing with the customer to provide technical status updates on activities such as design efforts, integration status, maturation plans and procedures, and testing results

• Overseeing error budgets pertaining to the seeker solution and the ability to support modeling that is used to inform either requirements or design sources of error

• Develop seeker hardware, optical system research and development, data analysis, and evaluation of algorithm development as it pertains to the hardware

• Overseeing vendor development activities and ensure deliverable timeframes are met

• Develop and maintain a strong technical understanding of seeker systems to aid in identification and troubleshooting of potential issues and ensuring all requirements flowed from the customer’s statement of scope are addressed

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math)

• Level IV - requires a bachelor's and 9 years' experience or a master's and 7 years' experience.

• Glide Phase Interceptor - Principal Seeker Modeling and Simulation Engineer (GPI)

  Northrop Grumman Space Systems is currently seeking an experienced Principal Seeker Modeling and Simulation Engineer - Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) team at our Chandler, AZ facility.

  GPI is a new development product offering exciting opportunities and unique problem-solving challenges.

  Job Responsibilities

• Create high fidelity simulations and models for missile design, performance assessment, and flight test support

• Develop and implement modeling solutions, conduct trade studies and evaluation of system and subsystem performance

• Deploy EO phenomenology and advanced physics concepts in a software implementation

• Research and develop novel EO modeling solutions

• Collaborate with Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) and other department personnel to perform simulation activities

• Provide technical expertise for the simulation products of GPI, assist other Modeling Engineers in the preparation of detailed plans, and interact with government counterparts as an authority on simulation products

• Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 5 years' experience and or a Masters degree with 2 years of experience

• Must have an active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope 

• Experience applying object-oriented software design, programming in C or C++, and Matlab

• Experience developing or simulating physical systems

• Experience in Electro-Optics (EO), imaging EO/IR systems, energy transport, signal processing or discrimination algorithms

• Desired Qualifications

• Advanced Degree in STEM

• Experience developing signal processing and GNC algorithms or models for missile applications, signal and image processing, digital communications

• Experience with hardware/software integration and modeling physics and physical systems

• Experience with software change management tools and processes and real-time programming

• Familiarity with Software and Firmware development processes

• Active Clearance

• Work in a team environment, leading efforts specific to modelling & simulation and supporting additional, varied program efforts

• Seeker requirement decomposition from top level customer requirements

• Experience with optical imaging systems ranging from the visible to LWIR spectrum

• Understanding of Fourier analysis and numerical analysis

• Experience in root cause and corrective action methodologies

• Experience with optical design tools: ZEMAX, Code V, FRED, NX, and Solid Works

• Experience working on real-time hypersonic missile interceptor systems

• High proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains

Preferred Qualifications:

• BS/MS/PhD in optical engineering or physics

• Active Secret Security Clearance

• Experience with missile systems and associated standards

• Previous experience with DOD missile defense programs

• Experience with relevant seeker con-ops and performance needs

• Experience with EO systems including optical design, analysis and tolerancing, error budgets, opto-mech, and focal plane technologies

• Experience in seeker algorithms design

• Experience with MBSE, modeling of optical sensors to manipulate target signatures

• Ability to obtain a DoD Secret Security Clearance

• Seeker requirement decomposition from top level customer requirements

• Experience with optical imaging systems ranging from the visible to LWIR spectrum

• Understanding of Fourier analysis and numerical analysis

• Experience in root cause and corrective action methodologies

• Experience with optical design tools: ZEMAX, Code V, FRED, NX, and Solid Works

• Experience working on real-time hypersonic missile interceptor systems

• High proficiency in MATLAB and Python toolchains