The posting
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
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 Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Sr Staff Systems Engineer – Global Hawk Resiliency Thread Lead to serve as the technical lead for end‑to‑end mission resiliency upgrades for the RQ-4 Enterprise. Initially, you’ll be focused on the development of Anti-Jam capabilities in support of the USAF Development business area, with a roadmap to scale solutions across multiple business areas.
In this role, you will be the single technical owner for resiliency mission threads, driving coherent requirements, architectures, and design patterns to ensure mission effectiveness in GPS‑denied, spoofed, and contested environments. You will collaborate across platforms, sensors, software, networks, and CONOPS to close resiliency gaps, reduce escapes, and establish reusable resiliency patterns and test approaches that can be adopted enterprise‑wide.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the technical owner for end‑to‑end mission resiliency threads in a priority USAF business area, with a roadmap to extend across up to five business areas.
- Define and maintain coherent resiliency requirements, architectures, and design patterns, replacing fragmented, program‑by‑program approaches with integrated enterprise solutions.
- Lead integrated trade studies across platforms, sensors, software, networks, and CONOPS to maintain mission effectiveness under GPS denial, spoofing, jamming, and other contested‑environment threats.
- Identify and close resiliency gaps across the full mission thread, from sensor input through mission execution, reducing escapes to test and field.
- Develop and enforce verification and validation strategies for resiliency requirements, including end‑to‑end test approaches (lab, HWIL, flight/operational as applicable).
- Establish reusable resiliency patterns, analysis methods, and test standards that can be adopted by other programs and business areas to lower NRE and accelerate future upgrades.
- Collaborate closely with program chief engineers, systems architects, software/hardware leads, mission engineering, and operations to ensure resiliency considerations are integrated throughout the lifecycle.
- Provide technical leadership into captures, proposals, and CRADs where assured navigation, mission continuity, and contested‑environment resiliency are key discriminators.
- Act as a trusted technical advisor to internal leadership and customer technical counterparts, representing Aeronautics Systems in technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and requirements working groups.
- Mentor and coach systems and mission engineers in resiliency best practices, model‑based engineering approaches, and enterprise reuse of patterns and standards.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) related discipline and 14 years of engineering experience, Master’s in STEM with 12 years engineering experience OR PhD in STEM with 10 years of engineering experience.
- Experience as a lead systems engineer on complex, multi‑disciplinary systems or system‑of‑systems, with responsibility for end‑to‑end mission threads (from sensor input through mission execution).
- Experience developing and managing system requirements, architectures, and interface definitions, including flow‑down and allocation across platforms, sensors, software, networks, and CONOPS.
- Experience leading cross‑functional and cross‑organizational teams, influencing without direct authority, and collaborating effectively with chief engineers, program leadership, and customer technical counterparts.
- Active DoD Top Secret security clearance required to start.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s or PhD in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or related STEM discipline.
- Demonstrated record of mentoring and technical leadership, including developing and propagating best practices, patterns, or standards across multiple programs or business areas.
- Deep technical experience in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), assured navigation, or mission resiliency in contested environments (e.g., GPS denial, spoofing, jamming, AJ/M‑code, multi‑sensor fusion).
- Demonstrated success defining reusable system architectures, patterns, and standards that have been applied across multiple programs or business areas.
- Experience architecting and analyzing system‑of‑systems solutions, balancing trades across platforms, sensors, software, networks, and CONOPS to support mission effectiveness and continuity.
- Hands‑on experience conducting system‑level trade studies and resiliency‑focused analyses (e.g., GPS‑denied/contested environments, spoofing, jamming, resilient PNT or navigation solutions).
- Proven track record designing and executing end‑to‑end resiliency test and evaluation approaches, including lab, HWIL, flight, or operational assessments focused on contested‑environment performance.
- Strong customer‑facing experience with USAF or other DoD customers, including technical interchange meetings, requirements working groups, and design/verification reviews.
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.
