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Sr. Staff Engineer – MS IPT Development Lead

San Diego, California, United States
Full Time On-site
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

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 Mission Systems Integrated Product Team (MS IPT) Development Lead to join the team of qualified individuals on our Avionic Integration Organization. This leadership role is located onsite in Rancho Bernardo, California.

In this role, the selected candidate will be responsible for leading a diverse engineering design team of approximately 45-50 Comms, Networks, Payloads, and Software engineers to provide imaginative, technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems across the Program.

The primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Responsible for team performance of all MS IPT scope and activities within the Development portfolio through all project phases (e.g., proposals, planning, execution, & closeout)

  • Provide technical guidance, leadership and mentorship to multi-disciplinary team of approximately 50 people to ensure team success across all levels

  • Serve as MS IPT focal to Program Management team for Technical, Cost, and Schedule Reporting

  • Provide Control Account Manager (CAM) oversight for MS IPT Development team, to include labor and material (subcontractor labor) control accounts, and support monthly Business Rhythm by ensuring accurate EAC forecasting

  • Manage staffing in collaboration with the IPT leadership team to ensure sufficient staff levels and appropriate skillsets are available to execute the Development statement of work

  • Perform risk and opportunity management, to include developing and tracking mitigation plans

  • Coordinate with Supplier Management Teams to manage supplier performance

  • Collaborate with Chief Engineer, IPTs, Suppliers, Customer and Program Management to define and execute design vision for future Development capabilities

  • Drive first-time quality across Development design and promote culture of technical rigor within Engineering team

  • Assist in capture of future development work through bid of future proposed efforts

  • Ensure contractual requirements are met for Mission Systems Engineering team including timely update and submittal of deliverables of various CDRLs

  • Lead technical anomaly resolution, including adjudication of findings to current and future builds, lead internal and external technical change/ review coordination, and signoff on Development change boards/ECPs for the IPT

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 14 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 12 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 10 years of related engineering experience.

  • Must demonstrate leadership skills with the ability to work effectively in a team environment and possess effective communication and presentation skills to all levels (individual contributor up to executive leadership, customer representatives, or supplier personnel)

  • Must have experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) of labor or material or subcontract labor accounts

  • Must have experience in leading a technical team

  • Must have experience in Risk and Opportunity Management

  • Must have an active DoD secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)

  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active DoD Top Secret clearance with current SCI and/or SAP

  • Must have experience with developing, preparing and defending proposal bids for technical programs

  • Experience as a certified CAM

  • Experience in technical leadership role as IPT/sub-IPT lead or technical/thread lead in systems engineering, vehicle engineering, avionics, software, electronics, or mission payloads

  • Experience in system-level/ hardware-in-the-loop integration/test, and/or other development activities

  • Demonstrated championing of technical change which resulted in performance improvements and/or team efficiencies

  • Familiarity with HALE ISR UAV programs (Triton, RQ-4)

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 - $289,200.00

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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