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Posted June 12, 2026
Northrop Grumman

Sr Principal Systems Engineer - R10235639

San Diego, CA, US Full Time
$142200 - $213400
Reference: R10235639

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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Sr Principal Systems Engineer Requirements and Verification (R&V) Lead to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Systems Engineering organization. This role is located in Rancho Bernardo, CA.

In this role, you will fill the role of Global Hawk SEI Long Term Comms (LTC) Requirements and Verification (R&V) Lead for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Business Area. You'll be working across the entire spectrum of the Systems Engineering V-Model, and will provide dedicated support in the area of requirements development, verification, and selloff.

Essential Functions:

  • Lead cross-Integrated Product Team (IPT) development of system and segment level requirements
  • Lead Requirements and Verification efforts in support of Systems Engineering Technical Reviews (e.g. SRR, PDR, CDR)
  • Define and implement requirement verification methodology and traceability
  • Coordinate with cross-IPT Responsible Engineers and System Test Engineering to ensure integrated functions are ready for formal verification
  • Perform requirements verification and selloff
  • Capture and translate the intent of stakeholders’ mission needs
  • Leverage experience supporting Fielded Aircraft Systems, UAV systems, and the full lifecycle of Systems Engineering, including design reviews, requirements decomposition, test planning, and requirements verification/management

 Basic Qualifications:

  • Must have a Bachelors degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 4 years of relevant military / professional experience
  • Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
  • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
  • Must have previous experience with Systems Engineering Technical Reviews (e.g. SRR, PDR, CDR)
  • Must have previous experience managing Technical Baselines (Functional and Allocated Baselines)
  • Must have requirements verification and validation experience including generating Requirements Verification Plans (RVPs), generating Requirements Verification Reports (RVRs), verification sell-off 
  • Must have previous DOORS experience
  • Must have experience managing multiple level of requirements and collaborating across engineering disciplines
  • Must have Functional Configuration Audit (FCA) experience

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with RQ-4 air vehicle, ground segment, sensor payloads, COMMS and support equipment
  • Experience with FMS customers
  • Experience with FMS operations
  • Experience with FMS architecture
  • Experience with Use Case generation 
  • Experience as Segment-Level Systems Engineer
  • Experience with Interfaces ICDs
  • Experience with System Design
  • Experience maintaining requirements metrics and status
  • Active TS/SCI
  • MS degree in STEM field

Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

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