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Sr. Principal Systems Engineer

Huntsville, Alabama, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

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 Space Systems – Launch and Missile Defense Systems is seeking a Sr. Principal Systems Engineer to support the Systems Engineering & Integration Team (SE&IT) program. We are excited for you to join our team of qualified and diverse individuals. Our domain provides rewarding work that contributes to the latest advancements being made in the missile defense industry. The position is in Huntsville, AL.

Position Overview:

The selected Sr. Principal Systems Engineer responsibilities will include the support of the SE&IT program as an individual contributor/task lead on the (SC&R) System Concepts & Requirements and Interface team. This role is responsible for developing systems engineering products that directly support the development and definition of the Missile Defense System Specification on behalf of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

Essential Functions:  

  • Perform model-based systems engineering (MBSE) functional and behavior analysis for the defeat of conventional and advanced Threats (e.g., ballistic, aero-maneuvering, hypersonic, hyper-glide, countermeasures, etc.) systems within the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) mission area.

  • Participate in a MBSE environment to develop system-of-systems requirements via system/component trade studies and analysis.

  • Contributes to publishing change notices to MDA’s system specification and update of requirements databases, architectural models, interface definitions, and DoDAF 2+ compliant based design packages to document, allocate and trace system and Element level requirements.

  • Document analysis results in reports and briefings for critique and review by SC&R and National Team stakeholders.

  • Create and present briefings within the team and to Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and supporting stakeholders.

  • Duties will include leading small teams of engineers in the development of products.

  • The position is in Huntsville, AL and is located on a customer site at the Boeing Jetplex facility.

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

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of related experience, or a Master's Degree and 6 years of related experience, or 4 years of related experience with a PhD.

  • Strong prior experience with use of MSOSA (Cameo) and DOORS.

  • Individual must demonstrate a strong technical background in architecture development, functional decomposition, requirements development and allocation, and interface definition with system-modelling tools.

  • Must be able to demonstrate knowledge of MBSE and the use of SysML to describe behaviors of a complex DoD system.

  • Must demonstrate ability to think critically and capture concepts in papers, presentations, and discussions. Individual must possess good communication skills.

  • Capable of working both independently and within a small team environment.

  • The successful candidate must also be willing to assume a technical leadership role at times.

  • Ability and willingness to work on a customer site.

  • Ability and willingness to travel up to 10% of the time.

  • Applicants must have a current active in-scope U.S. Government DoD issued Secret security clearance at the time of application which is required to start.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated experience modeling or simulating missile defense applications or similar domains (air combat, air defense, intercept of ballistic targets, intercept of non-ballistic targets, space vehicles, sub-orbital mechanics, etc.).

  • Knowledge of ballistic and advanced threat systems (e.g., aero-maneuvering, hypersonic, hyper-glide, countermeasures, etc.).

  • Modeling and analysis experience in aspects of the missile defense system (e.g., Aegis Weapons Systems, Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Glide Phase Intercept (GPI), Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), Fire Control, C2BMC, MDS sensors (EO/IR/RF), kill vehicles, interceptors, countermeasures, etc.).

  • Systems engineering experience with large, complex systems.

Primary Level Salary Range: $131,100.00 - $196,700.00

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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