Skip to content

Sr. Principal Flight Control Actuation System (FCAS) Engineer

El Segundo, California, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance 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 has an opening for a Sr. Principal Flight Control Actuation System (FCAS) Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located in El Segundo, CA.

The selected candidate will support the flight control actuation system (FCAS) design and analysis needs of unclassified and classified programs.  The engineer will work independently and collaborate across multiple teams to deliver quality solutions.

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 avionics hardware while accounting for hardware capabilities/limitations, defining interfaces, and incorporating required redundancy.
  • Support proposal development, technical planning, verification & validation, cost & risk analysis, and trade studies.
  • Perform project planning to determine program requirements and develop plans for program execution
  • Interface with external FCAS suppliers and manage external FCAS supplier activities
  • Develop and present materials for internal and external program related briefings
  • Utilize strong verbal and written communication skills to interact with key cross-discipline stakeholders to achieve program objectives in a timely manner
  • Perform technical and ICD writing
  • Perform task planning
  • Conduct technical peer reviews
  • Work on complex technical problems and provide solutions which are highly innovative
  • Collaborate and execute on long-range goals and objectives
  • Develop advanced technological ideas and guide development into a final product

This position requires 100% on-site work. There is no telework/hybrid work schedule available. Travel for this role is approximately 20 – 25%.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a related Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline and 8 years of relevant experience; OR a Master's Degree in a related STEM degree and 6 years of relevant experience; OR a PhD in a related STEM degree with 4 years of relevant experience
  • Demonstrated experience with avionics development or background in electronics engineering
  • Demonstrated experience with subsystem integration and developing/maintaining Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
  • Demonstrated experience with requirements management and verification practices
  • Demonstrated experience with system checkout and troubleshooting practices
  • Demonstrated experience developing test plans and procedures for system integration
  • Demonstrated experience developing, testing, and integrating Flight Control Actuation Systems
  • Demonstrated experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data
  • Demonstrated experience with supplier management, technical artifact review, and adjudication as part of development activities
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret clearance
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (SAP)

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active US Government Secret security clearance or higher
  • Comprehensive knowledge of flight control actuation systems
  • Experience with system redundancy and associated safety analysis
  • Experience performing system-level design/troubleshooting
  • Experience with motor controller software in flight critical systems
  • Experience with Safety of Flight (SoF) and/or airworthiness certification testing and artifact generation
  • Experience with Agile design teams and tools (Atlassian)
  • Understanding of Systems Engineering Principles and Model Based Systems Engineering tools (MBSE) with a practical focus for relevant use cases in propulsion integration.

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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.

Go to company profile