Senior Principal Engineering Program Manager Airborne Navigation Systems

Northrop Grumman•Los Angeles, CA

12d•$142,200 - $213,400•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in Woodland Hills, CA has been providing navigation and inertial measurement technology for over 60 years. Our solutions are deployed from undersea to deep space, including on James Webb Space Telescope and missions on Mars. We look for people with bold 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. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Senior Principal Engineering Program Manager (EPM) in Woodland Hills, CA. This role leads engineering execution for airborne navigation systems with strong emphasis on developing safety‑critical capabilities. You will partner closely with Program Managers, Chief Engineers, discipline functional engineering management, and other support organizations to deliver on cost, schedule, and technical commitments. This is a full‑time, on‑site role in Woodland Hills, CA.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a STEM or related technical field with 8+ years of related experience; or Master’s with 6+ years; or PhD with 4+ years
U.S. Citizenship.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
Experience leading multi‑disciplinary engineering teams on complex development programs.
Experience in systems development, integration, and test across the program lifecycle, preferably for safety‑critical or mission‑critical systems.
Experience working on projects that include hardware, software, and firmware.
Experience with earned value management (EVM) and management of cost accounts and schedules.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a STEM or related technical field.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent
Active U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret clearance.
Experience with airborne navigation systems, avionics, or safety‑critical aerospace systems, including: MIL‑STD‑810 environmental qualification, DO‑178 and MIL‑STD‑882 for safety‑critical software development and safety analyses, DO‑229 GPS integrity certification and performance requirements.
Domain expertise in defense electronic systems (RF, EW, communications, sensors, or avionics).
Working knowledge of DoD systems engineering standards and lifecycle processes.
Prior experience as an EPM, IPT Lead, or similar engineering leadership role.
CAM certification and experience with ETCs, CEACs, and IBRs.
Familiarity with Northrop Grumman processes and demonstrated success through proposals, BOE generation, program start‑up, and major reviews.

Responsibilities

Accountable for cost, schedule, and execution of all engineering scope on the program and ensures work is completed within approved budget and contractual boundaries across all IPTs.
Engineering execution across the full program lifecycle (capture through delivery) for airborne navigation systems.
Ensure engineering execution meets the applicable level of rigor and aligns with standards including MIL‑STD‑810 for environmental qualification, DO‑178 and MIL‑STD‑882 for safety‑critical software development, and DO‑229 for GPS integrity certification.
Serve as the primary engineering interface to the Program Manager, Chief Engineer, and functional organizations (Systems, Software, Hardware, Test, Manufacturing, Supply Chain).
Develop, review, and defend engineering proposal estimates and BOEs.
Oversee CAM responsibilities for engineering scope, rolling wave planning, budget allocation, Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) maintenance, earned value status, and estimating total costs to complete efforts.
Support schedule and financial updates, lead engineering Page and Line (P&L) reviews, and drive data‑informed decisions using program metrics.
Develop staffing plans and Work Load Forecasts (WLF) and partner with functional managers to project and secure resources.
Proactively identify, communicate, and burn down program execution risk, driving risk/issue/opportunity handling plans across IPTs.
Develop and execute risk mitigation plans and return‑to‑green plans for efforts on the program at risk of not meeting their baseline cost, schedule, or technical targets.
Ensure adherence to Northrop Grumman and customer engineering processes, configuration management, and rigorous entry/exit criteria for major reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR).