Principal Engineer Systems / Sr Principal Systems Engineer

Posted:
6/15/2026, 9:52:04 AM

Location(s):
California, United States ⋅ Oklahoma, United States ⋅ Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States ⋅ San Diego, California, United States

Experience Level(s):
Expert or higher ⋅ Senior

Field(s):
IT & Security

Workplace Type:
Hybrid

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new 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. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add a Senior Principal Systems Engineer / Principal Systems Engineer – Requirements and Verification Team to join our team in Rancho Bernardo, CA or Oklahoma City, OK. The candidate should be a self-starter with familiarity working in requirements and verification in a software lab environment.

We offer a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.

In this role you will be responsible for drafting requirements documents, verification plans and interface documents. The selected candidate will collaborate across engineering disciplines, primarily software and systems test, define project/software requirements for Lab Software Engineering Task Assignments.

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 10% may be required.

Roles and Responsibilities will include:

  • Develop, mature, and coordinate project, software, and interface requirements for a lab software environment.

  • Coordinate with cross-functional and multi-location teams to develop requirements, manage progress, and clear roadblocks.

  • Lead technical interchange meetings with customer and NG technical team.

  • Provide Systems engineering expertise to the technical teams.

  • Develop/Identify/Update Lab architecture.

  • Coordinate with key stakeholders to ensure proper verification and validation of project and software requirements.

  • Possess strong interpersonal and leadership skills with excellent communications skills to support coordination across IPTs and with external customers.

  • 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.

Basic Qualifications

  • Understanding of the application and development of Interface Control artifacts and requirements.

  • Active DoD Secret (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).

  • Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Program Access (SAP/PAR). This SAP/PAR must be obtained prior to commencement of employment and must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs.

  • Experience in requirements and verification management in DOORS.

Basic Qualifications for a level 3 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 years of related engineering experience.

Basic Qualifications for a level 4 Sr. Principal Systems Engineer

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.

• Familiarity with Agile practices.

• Experience in System Architecture

• Experience with software development.

• Experience with Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence, Crucible)

• Demonstrated proficiency in analytical thinking and problem-solving skills and Systems Thinking mindset

• Current B-2 Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.

• Experience with the full lifecycle of aircraft development, build, and operations.

Primary Level Salary Range: $93,300.00 - $147,600.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $0.00 - $0.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.