
Northrop Grumman
Falls Church, Virginia, United States of America
10K+ Employees
Sr. Principal Embedded Payload Electronics Engineer
United States-California-San Diego, United States of America
Posted on Aug 3, 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 Aerospace Systems has an opening for a Sr. Principal Embedded Payload Electronics Engineer to join our team in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo), CA or Palmdale, CA. This position will be in our Avionics Integration Organization.
Roles and Responsibilities will include:
Requirements management, system integration, test plan development, and test execution of a payload system throughout the entire development, demonstration, and test phases.
Understand all system requirements, develop statements of work, specifications and interface control documents, prepare, monitor and update program schedules, conduct and participate in all related design reviews, and provide technical guidance to the cross-functional team.
Perform subsystem trades, analysis of alternatives, modeling, and simulation for mission effects, data, or capabilities (including air vehicles, payloads, ground segments, mission planning, CONOPS, DRM, system security, and interfaces)
Develop, execute, and document lab test procedures and validation plans (including signal chaining, link budgets, interference checks, and pass/fail criteria) and capture test results and anomalies
Configure and operate RF and network testbeds/emulators (including channel emulators, attenuators, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, and protocol/network simulators) to reproduce operational environments
Troubleshoot hardware/software integration issues across RF front end, digital baseband, modem stacks, and network interfaces
Support configuration management and lab readiness: maintain test fixtures, instrumentation calibration records, test scripts, version control for test artifacts, and produce concise technical reports for stakeholders
The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is NO remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
Practical experience working with integrating payload systems
Requirements management, system integration, test plan development, and test execution of a payload system
Generation and update of specifications in DOORS, including requirements traceability and dxl script development
Familiarity with Systems Engineering tools and MBSE applications (e.g. DOORs, Cameo, Magicdraw, etc.)
Must have an active US Government Top-Secret Clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
Ability to obtain and maintain US Government SCI clearance
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
Preferred Qualifications:
Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.
Presenting analysis that shapes the system design and obtaining end-customer buy-in
Creating and refining Model Based System Engineering products (System behavioral models, Use Case realizations, State Machines, etc.)
Capability assessments to predict requirement compliance
Generating and reporting system Technical Performance Measures
Interface development and documentation
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 Aug 3, 2026
Financials
Type
public
Annual Revenue
$10B+
Market Cap
$84B+
Membership
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