Skip to content

Staff Test Engineer

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 a Staff Test Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals in our RAD organization. This role is located in San Diego, CA or El Segundo, CA.

This team is part of the Research and Advanced Design division working on exciting next generation technologies. In this role, you will be responsible for all facets of the test program, including lab and flight test staffing, planning, execution, and reporting.

Success in this role will be attained by being highly motivated and self-starting, with relevant test experience, supporting test activities in the System Integration Lab (SIL) in Rancho Bernardo and ground and flight tests.

Responsibilities:

  • Orchestrate lab, ground and flight integration and developmental testing for NGAS.
  • Ensure engineering tests serve developmental objectives and mechanisms are in place to execute the tests.
  • Review status of test requirements, manage schedules, prepare test plans and test reports.
  • Identify all test and test program risks, issues, and pressures and develop mitigation and closure plans.
  • Coordinate ground test engineering and operations, aircraft modifications for testing, frequent interaction with Engineering in Rancho Bernardo, Space Park, El Segundo, and Palmdale, ensuring cost and schedule performance targets are met.
  • Provide program leadership with test site employee staffing forecasts and provide timely resource forecasts to program management, assuring that proper staffing is in place to execute the Test Statement of Work.
  • Excellent communication skills, experience leading test engineering personnel, and be capable of working in a matrix environment with multiple sources of management guidance.

You may be required to support extended shifts and occasional weekends as required to maintain program schedules.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 12 years of relevant Ground and Flight test military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 10 years of relevant Ground and Flight test military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 8 years of relevant Ground and Flight test military / professional experience
  • Must have experience leading flight test programs
  • Must have experience with program risk, opportunity and issue management processes
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Top Secret or higher clearance
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
  • Must have the ability to travel up to 25% of your time

Preferred Qualifications:

  • An additional 2 years experience to those listed in the basic qualifications
  • Experience leading a Test team in a dynamic work environment
  • Excellent organizational and written communication skills, as well as project management planning and presentation skills
  • Proficient with MS Project, Excel, Power Point, Word
  • Demonstrated ability to create trusted relationships
  • Experience with Jira and Confluence tools
  • An active US Government Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
  • Prior clearance to a Special Access Program (SAP) or Special Compartmentalized Information (SCI)

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.

Go to company profile