Sr Principal/Principal Flight Test Engineer

Northrop Grumman•Edwards AFB, CA

3d•$103,600 - $193,900•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a highly experienced Flight Test Engineer to lead Communication, Navigation, Identification (CNI) focused test efforts for one or more aircraft platforms. The incumbent will serve as the primary technical authority for CNI system test planning, execution, and data analysis, and will act as a focal point between design engineering, maintenance, test operations, and the customer.

Requirements

Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 3 years of related professional/military experience (for Principal Engineer Flight Test Engineer)
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 6 years of related professional/military experience (for Sr. Principal Engineer Flight Test Engineer)
Must have an active US Government clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
Willingness to work overtime, odd‑hour shifts, and occasional weekends to support test schedules.

Nice To Haves

A current active in-scope U.S. Government DoD Top Secret clearance
Outstanding oral and written communication; experience presenting technical briefings to senior leadership, contractors, and customers
Direct test experience with communication suites (e.g., Link 16, SATCOM, TDL), navigation systems (GPS, INS, GAINS, DME), and identification technologies (IFF, ADS B)
Prior experience working in classified environments and implementing Safety Management System (SMS) processes for flight test operations.
Prior experience and familiarity with the USAF Test Wing processes.

Responsibilities

Develop and publish Integrated Test Plans (ITPs), detailed test procedures, and schedules that address CNI functional, performance, and survivability requirements for developmental and operational test phases.
Lead CNI test planning working groups, coordinating across avionics, communications, navigation, and mission systems disciplines to align test objectives, resources, and risk mitigation strategies.
Interface with design and analysis teams to define test configurations, instrumentation, and data collection requirements for radar, datalink, GPS/INS, IFF, electronic warfare, and other CNI subsystems.
Review and evaluate test requirements and traceability matrices to ensure completeness, compliance with applicable MIL STD/DO /GPM/IER standards, and alignment with aircraft mission goals.
Perform technical analysis of system level CNI performance, preparing comprehensive evaluation reports that document compliance, margin, and any corrective actions required.
Support the development, review, and approval of test cards and checklists in collaboration with engineering, test operations, and safety personnel.
Conduct Test Readiness Reviews (TRR) and support Pre /Post Test Briefings to communicate status, risks, and findings to stakeholders.
Provide real time mission control room support using Integrated Analysis & Data System (IADS), making safety critical decisions and adjusting test execution to maintain efficiency and data integrity.
Execute pre and post test data analyses, applying statistical methods and model based verification to identify anomalies, root causes, and corrective actions for CNI subsystems.
Maintain and report testing metrics, flight hour utilization, and constraints using other enterprise tools.
Mentor junior engineers and act as the principal subject matter expert (SME) for CNI test methodology, standards, and best practices across the test team.
Coordinate with security, safety, and certification authorities to ensure compliance with classified handling requirements and airworthiness directives.