Engineer Systems - Program IPT Lead - Level 6

Northrop Grumman•Chandler, AZ

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman - Launch Systems is hiring a Systems Engineer - Program IPT Lead Level 6, located in Chandler, Arizona. This high-visibility position requires a technical and leadership expert capable of guiding a multidisciplinary team of engineers to design, integrate, and deliver flight test vehicles, ground support and unique test equipment in support of a new line of effort. The ideal candidate will design and develop system architectures and define key capabilities and performance requirements. They will define design and technology maturity constraints of the system in accordance with customer specifications, develop thorough definition of system external interfaces, and define system implementation approaches and operational concepts to ensures requirements are met and evaluates performance with customer. In this position you will; Serve as Leader of the technical, cost, schedule, and resource execution for the IPT activities. You will collaborate with other IPT leads to understand the program's architecture needs, and drive development schedules to support overall program success. You will work with your team leads to understand risks, drive technical solutions and identify and execute risk mitigation activities. This role will own major trade studies, oversee the development and management of Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and provide technical leadership across a multi-disciplinary team. The ideal candidate has a strong background ins Systems Engineering fundamentals, demonstrated leadership of Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) tasked with the development of a new product line, and experience managing scope, cost, and schedule using control account management and earned value management (EVM) practices.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 14 years of experience, master's degree with 12 years of experience or Ph.D. with 10 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.
Active US Government Security Secret Clearance
Ability and willingness to obtain Top Secret Clearance
Ability and willingness to obtain Special Program Access (SAP)
Ability and willingness to obtain Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access
Experience leading technical teams
Understanding of Government systems engineering requirements
Experience as Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, Technical lead, or other leadership role in a program office or business function with demonstrated team building, organizational, and interpersonal skills
Experience with the technical development and direction for many aspects of engineering on a program, including design, development, implementation, testing, and delivery of product to a customer.
Experience with developing and executing project schedules.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or other related technical fields.
Active US Government Top Secret Security Clearance or higher, SAP access(es), and/or SCI access.
Exceptional communication skills.
An interest in and an aptitude for customer engagements at technical and programmatic levels.
Experience with the technical development and direction for all aspects of engineering on a program, including design, development, implementation, testing, and delivery of product to a customer.
Experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) managing Earned Value Management System (EVMS) projects.
Significant experience with missile systems or other launch/flight vehicles (e.g., tactical or strategic missiles, interceptors, sounding rockets, or space launch).
Familiarity with range and range safety requirements, processes, and interfaces (e.g., Eastern/Western Range, flight safety analyses, flight termination systems).
Experience supporting or leading missile launches, including pre-launch integration, test, countdown, and post-flight assessment.
Background in mission planning and mission execution for missile or launch systems, including trajectory design, constraints, and operational considerations.
Experience with integration & test (I&T) of complex flight hardware and software, including hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) and system-level testing.
Knowledge of requirements development and management tools (e.g., DOORS, Cameo) and configuration management practices.
Familiarity with government and industry standards relevant to missile and launch systems (e.g., MIL-STDs, range safety directives, flight safety criteria)
Experience coordinating with external subcontractors, primes, and/or suppliers.

Responsibilities

Lead system-level trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess performance vs. cost/schedule/risk, and support architecture decisions for advanced missile systems.
Develop, maintain, and baseline system- and subsystem-level Interface Control Documents (ICDs), including mechanical, electrical, data, and software interfaces.
Apply Systems Engineering, including Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), methods and tools to capture requirements, architecture, behaviors, and verification/validation plans.
Serve as a technical lead for multi-disciplinary engineering teams (e.g., GNC, avionics, propulsion, structures, software, I&T), ensuring system-level integration and design coherence.
Act as Control Account Manager (CAM) for assigned work scope, including planning, budgeting, tracking, and reporting performance.
Implement Earned Value Management (EVM) principles to monitor cost and schedule, identify variances, and develop recovery plans.
Oversee and coordinate multiple Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), driving technical execution, risk management, and cross-functional issue resolution.
Develop and maintain systems engineering artifacts including requirements documents, CONOPS, specifications, verification matrices, and system-level test strategies.
Support integration and test planning and execution, including test readiness reviews, anomaly resolution, and verification/validation activities.
Participate in customer technical interchange meetings, design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR), and formal reviews, presenting technical status, risks, and mitigations.
Support risk and opportunity management, including identification, assessment, and mitigation planning at the system level.