Principal Flight Test Engineer (AHT)

Principal Flight Test Engineer

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 a Principal Flight Test Engineer to lead system‑level flight testing and verification for the AARGM‑ER missile development program. The role will involve developing and maintaining flight‑test plans, procedures, and reports with minimal supervision, as well as authoring comprehensive test reports that document flight‑test results and certification status. The candidate will work within a cross‑functional team to coordinate flight‑test activities, flight‑range logistics, and data‑analysis efforts among program stakeholders. Travel to test ranges and launch sites will be required to support the AARGM‑ER flight‑test campaign.

The qualified candidate will become part of Northrop Grumman's Test and Evaluation Engineering department, Advanced Weapons division. This position is 100 % on‑site at our Northridge, CA facility; remote or hybrid work is not available. Active Secret clearance required to start.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop executable flight‑test plans that address technical specification verification, safety requirements, and range‑clearance constraints.
• Work with internal and external customers to define instrumentation, telemetry, data‑capture, and post‑flight analysis requirements.
• Coordinate flight‑range scheduling, launch vehicle integration, and support personnel to ensure safe and efficient test execution.
• Conduct pre‑flight briefings, post‑flight de‑briefs, and real‑time flight‑test monitoring, including anomaly detection and mitigation.
• Perform flight‑data collection, reduction, and dissemination to verification‑requirement stakeholders.
• Author and publish flight‑test reports, data summaries, and certification packages that trace results back to program requirements.
• Operate and troubleshoot flight‑test equipment such as telemetry receivers, high‑speed data loggers, RF spectrum analyzers, and signal generators.
• Demonstrate expertise with data‑analysis tools such as MATLAB, LabVIEW, Excel, and scripting languages for rapid post‑flight processing.
• Prepare briefings (Word, PowerPoint) for senior leadership, customer representatives, and technical review panels.
• Continuously improve flight‑test processes, incorporate lessons learned, and implement best‑practice procedures.
• Participate in and/or lead Technical Review Boards (TRRs), Flight Review Boards (FRRs), and other technical reviews related to flight testing.

Basic Qualifications – Level 3

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline + 5 + years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree in a STEM discipline + 3 + years of experience.
• Hands‑on experience with flight‑test instrumentation (telemetry, high‑speed data acquisition, RF test equipment, DMMs, signal generators).
• Proven flight‑test engineering experience, including test planning, execution, and data analysis for missile or aerospace systems.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Active Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present technical approaches, flight‑test results, and risk assessments clearly to diverse audiences.
• Experience designing, developing, and implementing flight‑test methods, fault‑injection techniques, and specialized test equipment.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction and to lead larger flight‑test efforts.
• Strong track record in writing flight‑test plans, procedures, and detailed post‑flight reports.
• Knowledge of environmental‑stress‑screening (ESS) and reliability‑centered testing procedures for missile systems.
• Demonstrated troubleshooting expertise in root‑cause‑corrective‑action (RCCA) analysis of flight‑test anomalies.

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00The 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.