Senior Principal Systems Engineer - Air to Ground

Northrop Grumman•Baltimore, MD

4d•$135,800 - $203,600•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems has an opening for a Sr. Principal Systems Engineer (Air-to-Ground) to join our organization. Our organization within Northrop Grumman Mission Systems offers the opportunity to join a team to solve problems in the field and drive new solutions into next generation systems across a wide variety of platforms and environments. You will support the Systems Engineering Integration and Test (SEIT) team on multiple major development programs. This position is based out of Linthicum, MD and will be 100% on-site.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of experience, Master's degree with 6 years of experience or Ph.D. with 4 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
U.S Citizenship is required
A current/active U.S. Government Secret Clearance
Ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).
Experience in Radar Air-to-Ground applications, including developing and applying models in MATLAB, Python, and/or C/C++
Experience with radar or RF systems, with demonstrated contributions in systems engineering, modeling, or integration.
Knowledge of air‑to‑ground radar concepts and modes.
Experience with modeling/analysis tools such as MATLAB and/or Python.
Ability to develop and manage requirements, specifications, and ICDs.
Strong analytical, problem‑solving, communication, and technical writing skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s or PhD in a relevant STEM discipline.
Experience with airborne radar programs (development, integration, or sustainment).
Experience with systems engineering tools or model‑based systems engineering (MBSE).
Familiarity with digital signal processing (DSP) techniques and real‑time implementation constraints.
Experience leading small technical teams or work‑packages

Responsibilities

Develop radar system architectures for air‑to‑ground missions (e.g., SAR, ISAR, GMTI/T, Targeting, Weather, Surface Return, Sea Surface Search, Ship Track, etc.).
Lead requirements analysis, allocation, and flow‑down to subsystems (RF front‑end, signal processing, interfaces).
Own and maintain system/subsystem specifications and ICDs, ensuring traceability to mission and platform needs.
Perform radar performance modeling (SNR, detection range, resolution, clutter, false alarm rates).
Conduct trade studies on waveforms, antenna configurations, processing approaches, and platform constraints.
Use modeling tools (MATLAB, Python, etc.) to evaluate design options and support technical decisions.
Plan and execute lab, field, and flight tests to verify radar performance against requirements.
Develop test procedures, define success criteria, and analyze test data to identify issues and drive corrective actions.
Support problem‑solving across hardware, software, and signal processing teams.
Serve as a key technical contributor within multi‑disciplinary teams.
Prepare and present technical material for internal reviews and customer briefings.
Support proposals and technical volumes, contributing to concepts, architectures, and estimates.