Principal Systems Engineer/ Sr. Principal Systems Engineer

Northrop Grumman

Melbourne, USonsite$98k-$184k/yrPosted Jul 7, 2026
Posting intelligenceActively listed

About the role

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.

Please note that this opportunity is contingent on program funding. Start dates are determined after funding confirmation.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Systems Engineer (Level 3 or 4) to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. The position will be located in Melbourne, Florida.

The successful candidate will be supporting the Systems Engineering Nuclear Surety Team. You will perform and support evaluations of designs for nuclear surety requirement compliance. You should be comfortable with requirement derivation, verification processes, system architecture examinations, and communication across numerous technical disciplines. You will support IPTs on the implementation and demonstration of nuclear surety requirement compliance to include hardware, software, and test support.

The successful candidate will support Nuclear Safety Design Certification activities to produce required artifacts in accordance with AFI 63-125, lead and support nuclear surety planning, certification assessments, and risk & vulnerability activities to include Fault Tree and Signal Path analyses. You will also coordinate with key stakeholders such as AFNWC, AFSEC, NNSA, and AFGSC.

We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-directed professionals who thrive in collaborative environments.

Role can be filled at either the principal systems engineer level or the senior principal systems engineer level depending on criteria below.

Basic Qualifications:

Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor of science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline with 5 years of related experience OR Master of science degree in a STEM discipline with 3 years of related experience OR a PhD in a STEM discipline with 1 year of related experience.

Senior Principal Systems Engineer: Bachelor of science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline with 8 years of related experience OR Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline with 6 years of related experience or a PhD in a STEM discipline and 4 years of related experience

Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated U.S. government Secret clearance (must be in-scope or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation) and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company.

Experience with military aircraft or weapon system design and/or operation to include requirements verification and certification.

Experience leading teams across multiple functional areas

Experience interacting with external stakeholders (customers, suppliers, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working with Nuclear Surety Requirements (e.g. AFI 63-125, AFMAN 91-118/91-119, AFI 91-107, AFI 91-101)

Experience with Fault Tree Analyses, Signal Path Analyses, Technical Risk Assessments, or other safety-related analyses

Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)

Experience interpreting, deriving, allocating, or managing technical requirements

Experience with software development

Experience with nuclear weapons design, manufacture, development, or operations

Familiarity with MIL-STD-1553 and MIL-STD-1760

Experience with nuclear certification stakeholders such as AFNWC, AFSEC, NNSA, and AFGSC

Active U.S. Government Top Secret / SCI Clearance

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,400.00 - $147,600.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00

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.

Compensation

This Systems Engineer role pays $98k-$184k/yr. Within typical range for systems engineer roles in United States.

Questions about this role

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