The Deployables Operating Unit is an organization within Northrop Grumman’s Payload and Ground Systems (PGS) division, Mission Enabling Products, is a leading designer, producer, and supplier of spacecraft components that power and enable satellites of all classes. Products include spacecraft panels, bus structures, precision optical structures, deployable structural systems and mechanisms, solar arrays, and antenna reflectors. Our products are on virtually every U.S. satellite built in the last 20 years. We are seeking a Senior Principal Test Engineer to support operations in our Goleta, CA facility.

Learn more about Spacecraft Components at: https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/spacecraft-components

Overview

Reporting to the Operations Test Engineering Manager, the Senior Principal Test Engineer will be responsible for execution of test procedures, as well as performing post-test data processing and reporting to ensure product contractual and derived requirements. The qualified candidate will have ownership of their work through all phases of product development, production, testing, and integration supporting internal and external teams as required.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Thermal vacuum testing subject matter expert

• Responsible for multiple thermal vacuum chambers operation, test execution, and maintenance/repairs

• Leadership of product testing, working in close collaboration with all parts of the Operating Unit for the test planning, coordinating, setup, execution, data reduction, test reporting, and post-data processing

• Leadership in integration of products to test tooling, software, equipment, and instrumentation

• Leadership in test data collection, post-test data review, reporting, and support test requirements verification

• Support technical writing to produce test documentation.

• Lead, participate, and present in internal and external (customer) reviews

• Accountable for management and tracking of multiple priorities while maintaining a focus towards common project goals of the program team, matrix organization, and customers

• Accountable to the Operating Unit Operations Test Engineering Manager for meeting the Operations Test Engineering safety, quality, delivery and cost expectations of internal and external customers within entire product value streams

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) discipline and 9+ years of applicable experience in testing, systems engineering, design engineering, manufacturing engineering, or another related field; OR 7+ years of applicable experience with a Master's degree in a STEM discipline

• Experience with thermal vacuum testing

• Demonstrated experience in test automation software (i.e., LabVIEW or other) for product testing

• Experience working in a test lab environment

• Demonstrated problem solving skills with hands-on project experience

• Excellent communication skills – presentation, oral, written, and listening

• Self-motivated with the ability to organize and prioritize job assignments and tasks

• Ability to work independently as well as in an integrated team and adapt to change and dynamic requirements

• Demonstrated technical writing and/or procedure development skills

• Demonstrated experience with testing automation or other lean manufacturing/testing methodologies

• Ability to travel between the Oxnard, CA and Goleta, CA sites and travel to support customers as needed

• US Citizenship required

Preferred Qualifications:

• 9+ years’ experience in test engineering

• Hands-on experience with shock and vibration testing

• Experience running a thermal/thermal vacuum lab

• Experience with LabVIEW

• Experience in measuring and controlling various electronic components such as motors, actuators, positional sensing devices, load transducers, etc

• Experience in the aerospace or defense industries