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Staff Air Vehicle Engineering Technical Lead

Edwards AFB, California, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

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 Staff Air Vehicle Engineering Technical Lead to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Test and Evaluation organization.

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 Sector is seeking a Air Vehicle Engineering Technical Lead to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This role reports directly to the Engineering Integration & Execution (EI&E) Flight Test Operations and Engineering Director on the Strike program, and frequent collaboration with the Flight Test Chief Engineer. This position will be located at Edwards AFB, CA with periodic work required in Palmdale, CA.

This position is accountable for the technical oversight of the Strike Flight Sciences and Subsystems engineering teams. The role is responsible for all engineering requirements, supplemental documentation needs, deficiency reporting and technical execution for this subset of engineering to ensure program completion.

Key Responsibilities

Responsible for all activities required to close out on system technical requirements from start to finish, in collaboration with their Department Manager to ensure functional planning and business management needs are met.

Regular tag ups with the program Chief Engineering Office to understand program change requests, technical tasks, integration needs with the program office and to report on technical test findings.

Provides technical direction, oversight and periodic review of system integration requirements, detailed test plans, safety planning, test schedules, and test procedures. This includes support of combined test planning working groups. 

Provide technical oversight for all system deficiency reporting and follow through, workaround procedures, what-if scenario descriptions and flight test operating limitations.

Provides technical direction for systems findings, data analysis to support quick turnaround of anomaly identification, reporting and resolution.

This position requires outstanding written and oral communications skills. Individual will be required to serve as a subject matter focal point for program leadership, maintenance, design engineering, and test site team - contractor and government.

Work under only general direction to determine and develop approaches to solutions; must be able to work both within a team environment and independently; must be self-motivated, thorough, and detailed; and must be willing to learn additional engineering discipline areas.

Overtime, odd shifts, and weekend work will occasionally be required.

Some travel to Melbourne is expected.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM Degree).
  • Minimum of 12 years of related experience with a BS Degree or 10 Years with MS Degree or 8 years with a Ph.D. in STEM
  • 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 Special Access Program (SAP) clearance prior to the commencement of employment
  • Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance
  • Hands on Flight Test Engineering experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Current Top-Secret clearance with ability to obtain and maintain Special Program Access.
  • Previous experience with Flight Sciences and Subsystems flight test.

Primary Level Salary Range: $161,000.00 - $241,400.00

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.

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