Principal/Sr. Principal System Engineer 3/4

Northrop Grumman•Oklahoma City, OK

48d•$93,300 - $174,500•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman's Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a Systems Engineer. This onsite position is in Oklahoma City, OK. The Principal/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer will be responsible for developing and executing the program. The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is NO remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required. This position may be filled either at the Principal Systems Engineer level OR at the Sr. Principal Systems Engineer level based on the qualifications listed.

Requirements

Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.
Sr. Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret / Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
Must be able to work on-site in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Experience with CAD modeling (NX, CATIA)
Experience performing best fit analysis of aircraft structures
Basic knowledge of composites
Ability to mentor junior engineer
Experience in systems engineering across the full lifecycle (requirements, architecture/design, integration, verification & validation, and/or operations).
Demonstrated experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, JIRA, or equivalent).
Proven ability to lead technical efforts and work effectively in cross functional teams.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience presenting to leadership and/or customers.

Nice To Haves

A U.S. Citizen with Active DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance OR active DoD Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.
Experience as a primary or chairing Material Review Board (MRB) engineer on major aerospace/defense programs.
Familiarity with root cause/corrective action (RCCA) methodologies (8D, 5 Why, fishbone/Ishikawa, etc.).
Background in systems engineering for production or sustainment programs (requirements flowdown, verification, risk management).
Experience handling customer waivers/deviations and presenting MRB decisions in customer reviews.
Master’s degree in relevant engineering discipline.
Understanding of automation scripting using Python
Experience with design/manufacturing/repair of composite structures
Experience designing Tooling, fixtures, and support equipment for composite/metallic structures
Experience in technical leadership role on a cross-functional product development team
Experience designing tooling and support equipment
Experience with tools like Jira, Bitbucket, Gitlab, GitHub.
Familiar with Agile methodology.
Ability to author and maintain technical installation, configuration, and update documentation.
Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to interface with all levels of employees and management.

Responsibilities

Analyze tooling/support equipment and recommend appropriate solutions for repair, rework, or alternative solutions using modern manufacturing methods.
Assess, interpret, and recommend changes to engineering drawings.
Generate complex engineering models and drawings
Create and review detailed 3‑D CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA, NX) models, drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
Develop design concepts, criteria and engineering tasks for product development, integration and test.
Assist or lead design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) reviews; recommend geometry or material changes to reduce production cost.
Generate and maintain technical documentation: specifications, test plans, failure‑analysis reports, and engineering change orders (ECOs).
Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to qualify components, conduct fit‑checks, and resolve technical issues.
Support prototype build‑up, fixture design, and tooling selection; oversee test‑fixture fabrication and instrument integration.
Research, plan, design and develop mechanical products and systems
Analyze complex systems and precision electro-mechanical assemblies through simulation and/or analysis to then recommend appropriate substitutions or redesign solutions to ensure the integrity of the platform configuration, system safety, and performance specifications while minimally impacting qualification processes.
Apply research to the planning, design, development, and testing of mechanical and/or electromechanical systems, instruments, controls, engines, and/or machines.
Identify, analyze, and solve obsolescence issues.
Establish milestones and monitor adherence to master plans and schedules.
Identify program risks and assist in the establishing of mitigation steps
Act independently to uncover and resolve issues associated with the development and implementation of programs.
Validate and qualify production tooling, fixtures, and automation equipment; coordinate design changes with mechanical engineering.
Support process improvement and establishment of new or updated processes.
Perform functional analysis, timeline analysis, detail trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware specifications.
Generate reports for customers, engineering leadership, and other cross-functional organizations.
Establish and enforce engineering standards, best‑practice libraries, and knowledge‑management processes across the organization.

Benefits

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
health insurance coverage
life and disability insurance
savings plan
Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
overtime
shift differential
a discretionary bonus
Annual bonuses
Long Term Incentives (for VP or Director positions)