
Northrop Grumman
Falls Church, Virginia, United States of America
10K+ Employees
Navigation Engineer (Principal or Senior Principal Level)
United States-California-San Diego, United States of America
Posted on Jun 30, 2026
Job Description
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 Aeronautics Systems RQ-4 Global Hawk Program seeks a Principal or Sr. Principal Engineer Navigation to support the Air Vehicle Navigation team in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
The group is responsible for vehicle flight control and safety. This position supports the Navigation subsystem with an emphasis on Radio Frequency (RF) performance. General duties for the candidate will include navigation subsystem lab testing, flight test support, anomaly resolution, and supplier management, among other duties.
Members of the team perform technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost and risk analysis, and supportability and effectiveness analyses for total systems. Analyses are performed at all levels of total system product to include concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal. Members of the team ensure the logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into total systems solutions that acknowledge technical, schedule, and cost constraints. The team also performs functional analysis, timeline analysis, detailed trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware and software specifications.
This position can be filled at either the Principal Engineer or Sr Principal Engineer level.
Basic Qualifications:
Basic qualifications for a Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 5 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 3 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with no experience.
Basic qualifications for a Sr. Principal Engineer Guidance Navigation Control include a Bachelor's in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) and at least 8 years of experience, a Master's Degree in STEM with 6 years of experience, or a PhD Degree with 3 years of experience.
SW Tools: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Project, Visio), Matlab
General understanding of the GPS system and how it works, general understanding of inertial sensors and how they work.
Working knowledge of Radio Frequency (RF) devices and system architecture (amplifiers, bias-T, splitters, etc)
Familiar with RF Parameters: Fundamentals of frequency, impedance, and gain.
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
Preferred Qualifications:
Degree type: MS or PhD degree in STEM
Clearance Level: Top Secret (TS) or ability to obtain a TS
Flight Test experience: Some experience
Supplier management: Some experience
Requirements development: Some experience
Requirements verification testing: Some experience
Knowledge of passive and active components: inductors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors.
Proficiency with test equipment (oscilloscopes, signal generators, signal analyzers, multi-meters): Some experience
Good understanding of the GPS system, the GPS Signal in Space characteristics, DGPS systems, inertial sensors, GPS/INS tightly coupled Kalman filters, GPS receiver design
Advanced Knowledge of RF Devices: RF amplifiers, coupling structures, filters, and oscillators.
Advanced Knowledge of RF System Architectures: Overall system design, including common system impairments and performance characteristics.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle...
Job overview
Employment type
Full Time
Experience level
Senior
Posted
on Jun 30, 2026
Financials
Type
public
Annual Revenue
$10B+
Market Cap
$84B+
Membership
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