Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer

Northrop Grumman offers a role focused on mission-critical communications subsystems with a clear path for growth in a defense and aerospace environment. This on-site Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer position is based in Palmdale, CA or Rancho Bernardo, CA, with up to 25% travel. A Top Secret clearance is required, with the ability to obtain SCI and SAP clearances. The role supports a collaborative engineering culture that values precision, accountability, and delivering robust technical solutions.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Overtime (may be eligible)
• Shift differential (may be eligible)
• Discretionary bonus
• Long Term Incentives

Role overview

This senior engineering role provides engineering support for a communications payloads subsystem. It requires on-site work in Palmdale, CA or Rancho Bernardo, CA and up to 25% travel. A Top Secret clearance is mandatory, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI and SAP clearances.

Responsibilities

• Analyze stakeholder, system, and regulatory requirements and decompose them into hardware and software subsystems, interfaces, and measurable verification criteria.
• Develop and maintain system architecture models, interface control documents (ICDs), and traceability matrices to ensure design decisions map to requirements and support downstream verification and integration.
• Support communication based integration and verification activities, document test procedures and results, and iterate designs to meet acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate communication subsystem technical requirements with the supplier management team.
• Manage suppliers to assess new technology and its viability to meet program requirements.
• Conduct thorough trade studies and analyses to weigh benefits and detriments of new communication hardware and software.
• Collaborate with program management to build program schedules, assess risks and issues, and provide technical recommendations to stakeholders.
• Address and correct deliverable subsystem performance concerns using program tools and systems.
• Identify opportunities for deliverable system improvement and work with engineering teams to implement under approved program processes.
• Report communications subsystem status to program leadership and technical teams, identifying risks and concerns to prevent cost or schedule impacts.
• Provide direct user support, engineering expertise, and troubleshooting during test events.

Requirements

• On-site work required; no remote or hybrid arrangements.
• Location: Rancho Bernardo, CA or Palmdale, CA.
• Travel up to 25% of the time.
• Active Top-Secret Clearance with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain US Government SCI clearance.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable timeframe as determined by business needs.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience.
• Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience.
• PhD in a STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
• Experience in communications and network system integration.
• Experience with RF and network based test equipment including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, and power meters.
• Technical development and systems integration experience.
• Experience with managing suppliers.

Technologies

• Oscilloscopes
• Spectrum analyzers
• Network analyzers
• Power meters
• MIL-STD-1553
• RS-232/422
• Ethernet (IPv4/IPv6)
• Network Encryption Devices (INE, HAIPE)

Preferred qualifications

• Current Special Access Program access
• Supplier management experience
• Experience leading cross-discipline teams
• Experience serving as a proposal estimator
• Experience in technical writing such as technical volumes and white papers
• Network training or certifications (Network+, Security+, CCNA, etc.)
• Experience with Network Encryption Devices (INE, HAIPE, etc.)
• Familiarity with industry standards for communications and network-based systems (MIL-STD-1553, RS-232/422, Ethernet IPv4/IPv6)