Physicist Level 4

Northrop Grumman•Chandler, AZ

6d•$122,800 - $184,200

About The Position

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Physicist Level 4 to join its team in Chandler, Arizona. The role serves as a test and project engineering lead for rain erosion and lightning direct effects on aerospace materials and structures, working with senior survivability leadership to align test efforts with vehicle-level hardening strategies. The physicist evaluates material responses in extreme aerospace environments and plans and executes material response tests at internal and external facilities. The role synthesizes test results into technical conclusions and translates them into survivability assessments and material or design recommendations. It also leads multidisciplinary contributors, communicates findings to specialist and non-specialist stakeholders, and maintains clear documentation that can support future work. Strong materials science fundamentals and experience with extreme military launch vehicle flight environments are important to interpreting and explaining test outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of professional experience, or a master’s degree and 6 years of professional experience, or a PhD and 4 years of professional experience.
U.S. citizenship.
Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
Hands-on experience with test campaigns, including planning, sample fabrication, execution, data review, and reporting; analysis or paper studies alone do not satisfy this requirement.
Strong project engineering skills, with multiple examples of driving technical projects to completion.
Ability to build rapport and confidence with leadership, peers, and support staff to accomplish work.
Demonstrated ability to maintain technical rigor under aggressive schedule pressure.
Highly structured, focused, and methodical approach, with strong organizational skills.
Background in materials science, especially structural and thermal aerospace materials.
Basic understanding of how materials respond to military launch vehicle flight environments.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate in team environments.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in physics, electrical engineering, materials science, or mechanical engineering.
Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance is highly preferred.
Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-310, MIL-STD-464, SAE-ARP-5412/5414, NASA-STD-4003, and RTCA DO-160, and experience interpreting industry standards to develop test levels.
Experience planning and executing subsonic and supersonic rain erosion material response tests (e.g. SuRE, HHSTT), particularly material selection, specimen design, test matrix development, and post-test damage assessment.
Experience planning and executing direct effects lightning material response tests, including arc entry and conducted current, with knowledge of grounding, fixturing, pre-test damage predictions, and post-test damage analysis or classification.
Experience with rain erosion and/or lightning detonation impulse modeling, especially hydrocode and/or G-law modeling, and ability to compare model predictions critically with test observations and adjust assumptions.
Experience with high heat flux material response testing at low and high shear (e.g. LHMEL, AEDC).
Experience with dynamic material response characterization testing (gas gun and/or electron beam), particularly specimen design, instrumentation, and data interpretation.
Experience with particle and fiber-reinforced matrix materials, refractory metals, and ceramic coatings, and ability to relate microstructure and other fundamentals to macroscopic response in extreme flight environments.
Working knowledge of shock physics, especially shock Hugoniot and/or stress wave propagation in shocked materials.

Responsibilities

Evaluate materials for extreme aerospace environments, including lightning, flight heating, and supersonic or hypersonic rain.
Design, plan, execute, and report on rain erosion and lightning direct effects tests.
Work with external test facilities and suppliers to define test scope, develop or review procedures, witness tests as needed, and resolve issues.
Synthesize test results into clear technical conclusions and communicate them to program leadership, systems engineering, suppliers, and other non-specialist stakeholders.
Translate test conclusions into survivability assessments and material or design recommendations.
Lead a team of junior engineers and scientists as well as senior- and Fellow-level contributors, maintaining focus on objectives while encouraging technical input.
Keep complex efforts on task, guard against scope creep, and ensure tests and analyses align with program schedules and priorities.
Produce clear, consistent documentation that others can understand and build upon in the future.

Benefits

Comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package.
Health insurance coverage.
Life insurance.
Disability insurance.
Savings plan.
Company-paid holidays.
Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus.
Annual bonuses designed to reward individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results.
Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.
Relocation assistance may be available.