Principal Systems Engineer

Northrop Grumman • Beale AFB, CA

5d • $108,800 - $163,200 • Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support fielded airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems and their associated data center, network, and communication infrastructure at Beale AFB, California. The position serves as a technical interface among operations, field users, engineering Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), and customer representatives. The engineer applies systems thinking to sustain and improve mission systems, resolve complex field issues, and take configuration changes from concept through implementation in support of 24/7 operations.

The role includes sustaining and providing real-time support for mission systems, troubleshooting across avionics, data center, network, and communication subsystems, and integrating and testing hardware and software changes. The engineer also coordinates configuration and change requests, develops test and verification activities, tracks actions and performance metrics, and provides technical briefings and status updates. Support may include shift work, nights, weekends, holidays, occasional overtime, and travel of up to approximately 25%.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related systems engineering or engineering experience, or a master's degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related experience.
• Experience with system integration, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis across hardware, software, and network boundaries.
• Familiarity with modern operating systems and networking concepts, such as Windows and/or Linux administration, TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, ACLs, and VPNs.
• Experience reading and interpreting electrical and/or mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation.
• Experience working cross-functionally with engineering teams and technicians to implement system changes and resolve issues under schedule pressure.
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret SCI clearance, with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrollment in Continuous Evaluation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Access Program (SAP) access via a Program Access Request (PAR) before employment begins and within a reasonable period determined by the company.
• Ability to work non-standard hours, including shifts, nights, weekends, and holidays, and support occasional travel up to approximately 25%.

Nice To Haves

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including clear technical documentation and briefings.
• Experience supporting airborne ISR platforms and associated ground systems in field or test environments.
• Experience configuring and troubleshooting network equipment, such as Cisco or equivalent switches and routers, Cisco ASA/Firepower or Palo Alto firewalls, and virtualized environments such as VMware ESXi.
• Familiarity with network management and security protocols such as SNMP, SSH, syslog, and RADIUS/TACACS.
• Experience with Agile practices and/or tools such as JIRA for managing engineering actions.
• Proficiency in one or more programming or scripting languages, such as C, C++, Python, or Bash.
• Prior military, flight test, or depot-level field engineering support experience.
• DoD 8140 IAT Level II or higher compliant certification, such as Security+ CE, CCNA Security, CCNP, or CISSP.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the on-site systems engineering liaison among operations, engineering IPTs, and customer stakeholders to resolve field issues, escalations, and installations.
• Sustain and provide real-time support for mission systems, including Windows, Linux, and VMware ESXi operating systems; data center compute, storage, and network hardware; and ground communication and network infrastructure such as routers, switches, firewalls, and SATCOM/RF.
• Perform system-level troubleshooting and root cause analysis across avionics, data center, network, and communication subsystems in field and control-room environments.
• Plan, configure, integrate, and test hardware and software changes in lab and operational environments, ensuring interoperability across compute, storage, and network systems.
• Lead intake, technical review, and execution of configuration and change requests, including preparing Configuration Change Board (CCB) packages with risk assessments and implementation guidance.
• Coordinate and track cross-functional action items and change requests; maintain status and performance metrics for field modifications and fixes.
• Develop and execute test plans, integration procedures, and verification and validation activities for new or modified payloads, instrumentation, and network configurations.
• Provide technical briefings and written status updates to customers, program leadership, and internal stakeholders.
• Support mission operations, including shift work, weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Potential eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and discretionary bonus, depending on the position

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior