Staff Systems Engineer

Salary: $169,000 - 253,600 per year Requirements:

• Bachelors degree in a STEM discipline and 12 years of relevant experience, a masters degree and 10 years, or a PhD and 8 years.
• U.S. citizenship and an active, current U.S. Government Secret clearance at the time of application, with an investigation within the last six years.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program approval within a reasonable period, as determined by the company.
• Experience on a Systems Engineering team executing or managing tasks such as architecture development, requirements development, interface definition, specialty engineering, or integration.
• Experience addressing unusually complex technical problems using advanced systems engineering principles and leading multidisciplinary teams to innovative, robust solutions.
• Preferred: Active DoD Top Secret clearance and CompTIA Security+ certification.
• Preferred: Experience with DoD weapon-system conceptual and preliminary design, especially test and integration of cruise missile or unmanned aircraft flight systems and flight-systems architecture development.
• Preferred: Flight-test planning and test-procedure development for cruise missile systems, including recent requirements development and decomposition, supplier-specification requirements, and leadership of System Requirements Reviews.
• Preferred: Familiarity with Agile methods and Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence, and experience guiding teams in their use for complex systems engineering work.
• Preferred: Teamwork, independent contribution, leadership, problem-solving, communication, interpersonal and organizational skills, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach.

• Provide systems engineering support throughout the TMRR phase, including requirements development, functional analysis, interface definition, and verification and validation for cruise missile subsystems.
• Break down and allocate system and customer requirements into hardware and software specifications, maintain end-to-end traceability, and ensure alignment with technical, schedule, and cost constraints.
• Develop and oversee functional architectures, concepts of operations, and use cases with MBSE tools such as CAMEO and DOORS, while advancing systems engineering practices across the program.
• Support planning and execution of hardware-in-the-loop, developmental flight, and operational test integration; oversee verification and validation strategies and resolve complex technical issues.
• Create and manage technical maturation roadmaps and integration plans, identify and mitigate technical and program risks, and advise management on risk posture and trade decisions.
• Support or lead cross-functional working groups and model capability reviews, uphold systems engineering standards and quality expectations, and build consensus on technical decisions.
• Develop and guide systems engineering deliverables, including design reviews, trade studies, interface control documents, requirements baselines, and supportability and effectiveness analyses.
• Conduct and direct advanced trade studies and timeline analyses across concept, design, test, and integration to optimize solutions and influence program strategy and organizational objectives.
• Contribute to proposal development, RFP/RFS responses, and Bases of Estimate for TMRR efforts, developing technical ideas and guiding them into executable plans.

• Atlassian
• Confluence
• Hardware
• Support
• JIRA
• Security
• SAP

More:

We are Northrop Grumman, where our employees work on advanced systems and solutions across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. We value intellectual curiosity, diverse perspectives, purposeful work, and employee growth. Our Defense Systems organization is hiring a Staff Systems Engineer for Special Programs & Futures in the Strategic Deterrent Systems Division, based in Huntsville, Alabama. The role supports a mission requiring a Secret clearance at start and involves travel up to 10% of the time. Relocation assistance may be available. The standard schedule is 9/80, with every other Friday off. We offer competitive pay, a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k), educational assistance, life insurance, paid time off, employee assistance and wellness resources, and discounts. The listed salary range is $169,000–$253,600; actual offers take into account factors such as responsibilities, experience, education, skills, and market conditions. Additional compensation may include overtime, shift differentials, or discretionary bonuses, depending on the position.

last updated 42 week of 2026