Principal Test Engineer

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 Defense Systems is seeking to hire a Principal Test Engineer . This position will be located in Huntsville, AL supporting Advanced Programs .

Primary responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

• Prepare and manage facilities, labs, HWIL/SWIL test environments, and supporting infrastructure (planning, procurement, builds, readiness) for Phase 2 and future-phase test activities.
• Translate customer contractual requirements into comprehensive, system-level test solutions that balance technical performance, schedule, and cost constraints.
• Develop, lead, and execute integrated test plans, procedures, and schedules for subsystem, system-level, and environmental test events (including In-Air and Underwater Eject Tests).
• Ensure test requirement completeness and traceability by contributing to and maintaining the Integrated Test Plan (ITP) and associated verification/validation artifacts.
• Coordinate and integrate test activities across internal engineering teams, lab operations, range organizations, and external suppliers to achieve coherent test campaigns.
• Perform technical analysis of test results and system performance, generate system-level evaluation reports, and provide data-driven recommendations to drive design improvements and risk reduction.
• Review and oversee supplier test efforts, including test requirements, plans, procedures, verification and validation of delivered components, and test data review.
• Design and implement proof-of-concept and risk-reduction test methods and demonstrations to identify and mitigate early program risks during Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction.
• Manage test data acquisition, configuration control, analysis, metrics, and documentation using modern toolsets (e.g., DOORS, Atlassian, data analytics) to support technical reviews and decision making.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison for test activities with customers, contractors, and senior stakeholders while ensuring compliance with safety, security, and export-control requirements.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 5 years of relevant experience , OR a Masters degree and 3 years of relevant experience, OR a PhD and 1 year of relevant experience.
• Must be a US Citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance , at time of application, current and within scope, with an investigation date within the last 6 years
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs
• 3+ years of experience developing and executing integrated test plans and procedures for complex defense or aerospace systems, including requirements traceability within a systems engineering framework (e.g., DOORS or equivalent)
• 3+ years of experience planning and executing hardware-in-the-loop and/or system-level hardware test activities, including coordination across multi-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment
• 3+ years of experience in development of innovative Test Automation solutions.
• 3+ years of experience documenting test requirements and methodologies in the requirements management system.
• 3+ years of experience assessing anomalies and develops resolutions to documented procedures in conjunction with Test and Quality Engineering.
• 3+ years of experience reviewing status of test requirements, manages schedules and prepares reports. Selects and supervises technicians during test.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance
• Experience developing Integrated Test Plans (ITPs), test procedures, and test reports (including functional checkout) for major DoD acquisition programs, preferably in strategic deterrence or missile systems
• Experience leading test activities in a multi-team environment, including schedule management, risk management, performance metrics, and customer/peer technical reviews (e.g., program reviews)
• Experience with test-related toolsets such as DOORS (or equivalent), Atlassian tools (Confluence, Jira), and data analytics/visualization (e.g., Tableau) to manage requirements, test planning, and test metrics
• Experience interfacing with and/or managing suppliers for test-related work (e.g., drafting or executing Statements of Work for test activities, leading hardware procurement/supply chain coordination for test assets)
• CompTIA Security+ Certification (or equivalent DoD 8570 certification)
• Experience with IBM Jazz to assist in automated test execution

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

• 401k

• Educational Assistance

• Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

• Paid Time Off

• Health & Wellness Resources

• Employee Discounts

This position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,900.00 - $148,300.00

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 U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.