Systems Engineer - Level 5

Systems Engineer – Level 5

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 Space Systems has an opening for a Systems Engineer – Level 5 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals at our Chandler, AZ site.

The successful candidate will design and develop system architectures and define key capabilities and performance requirements. They will define design and technology maturity constraints of the system in accordance with customer specifications, develop thorough definition of system external interfaces, and define system implementation approaches and operational concepts to ensures requirements are met and evaluates performance with customer.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Systems Engineer to lead complex systems engineering efforts on advanced missile programs. This role will own major trade studies, develop and manage Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and provide technical leadership across a multi-disciplinary team. The ideal candidate has a strong MBSE background, demonstrated leadership of Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), and experience managing scope, cost, and schedule using control account management and earned value management (EVM) practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-level trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess performance vs. cost/schedule/risk, and support architecture decisions for advanced missile systems.
• Develop, maintain, and baseline system- and subsystem-level Interface Control Documents (ICDs), including mechanical, electrical, data, and software interfaces.
• Apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methods and tools to capture requirements, architecture, behaviors, and verification/validation plans.
• Serve as a technical lead for multi-disciplinary engineering teams (e.g., GNC, avionics, propulsion, structures, software, I&T), ensuring system-level integration and design coherence.
• Act as Control Account Manager (CAM) for assigned work scope, including planning, budgeting, tracking, and reporting performance.
• Implement Earned Value Management (EVM) principles to monitor cost and schedule, identify variances, and develop recovery plans.
• Lead and coordinate Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), driving technical execution, risk management, and cross-functional issue resolution.
• Develop and maintain systems engineering artifacts including requirements documents, CONOPS, specifications, verification matrices, and system-level test strategies.
• Support integration and test planning and execution, including test readiness reviews, anomaly resolution, and verification/validation activities.
• Participate in customer technical interchange meetings, design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR), and formal reviews, presenting technical status, risks, and mitigations.
• Support risk and opportunity management, including identification, assessment, and mitigation planning at the system level.

Basic Qualifications (Required)

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 12 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master's degree in STEM with 10 years of related engineering experience
• Hands-on experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools and practices (e.g., SysML, Cameo/MagicDraw, Rhapsody, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated multi-disciplinary engineering leadership on complex hardware/software integrated systems.
• Proven experience as a Control Account Manager (CAM) or equivalent role, responsible for scope, cost, and schedule.
• Working knowledge and practical application of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles and metrics (e.g., CPI, SPI, variance analysis).
• Experience leading or co-leading Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) or cross-functional technical teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing and delivering technical presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Must have an active DoD Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related technical field. Or PhD.
• Significant experience with missile systems or other launch/flight vehicles (e.g., tactical or strategic missiles, interceptors, sounding rockets, or space launch).
• Familiarity with range and range safety requirements, processes, and interfaces (e.g., Eastern/Western Range, flight safety analyses, flight termination systems).
• Experience supporting or leading missile launches, including pre-launch integration, test, countdown, and post-flight assessment.
• Background in mission planning and mission execution for missile or launch systems, including trajectory design, constraints, and operational considerations.
• Experience with integration & test (I&T) of complex flight hardware and software, including hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) and system-level testing.
• Knowledge of requirements development and management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama) and configuration management practices.
• Familiarity with government and industry standards relevant to missile and launch systems (e.g., MIL-STDs, range safety directives, flight safety criteria).
• Possess and maintain a Top Secret / SCI security clearance.

Attributes for Success

• Systems thinker with the ability to balance performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Comfortable making data-driven decisions in ambiguous or fast-evolving environments.
• Strong leadership, influence, and collaboration skills across disciplines and organizations.
• Proactive, self-directed, and able to drive issues to closure.