Principal Systems Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: San Diego
Posted on: April 7, 2026

Job Description:

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 sector is seeking a Systems Engineer for the Triton program in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego CA at the Autonomous Design Center of Excellence. The selected candidate must be from within a commutable distance from the site. The selected candidate will be responsible for supporting diverse engineering design teams to provide imaginative, technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems within the Core Systems Engineering team on the Triton Enterprise. This includes scope across the entire spectrum of the Systems Engineering V-Model. The candidate will be executing system integration tasking across the entire lifecycle of a system and integrating new capabilities on the MQ-4C Triton platform. The selected candidate should be able to support SE disciplines including requirements development, use case development, capability (hardware and software) development, integration planning, lab integration, test planning, formal test, verification and fielded test and mission support. The selected candidate will also be expected to perform tasking in establishment and management of the technical baseline including Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) development and technical configuration and change management. Essential Functions: • Support cross-IPT development of system level requirements and use cases • Implement requirements verification methodology and traceability • Support development of interface definitions and integration plans • Conduct formal integration and support capabilities based system level testing of fully integrated complex software and hardware subsystems • Evaluate integration and test anomalies and assist disposition and correction of issues as found • Perform requirements verification and selloff • Provide support to flight test and fielded assets • Manage configuration of developmental and production systems • Development of capability roadmaps within specified capability areas Basic Qualifications: • BS degree in a STEM discipline with a minimum of 5 years of relevant engineering experience; Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with a minimum 3 years of relevant experience • Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret clearance • Ability to obtain and maintain Program Access (PAR) within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs Preferred Qualifications: • Active DoD Secret clearance • Familiarity with Systems Engineering V model and Design processes • Familiarity with TeamCenter PLC and JIRA/Confluence • Demonstrated experience with IFC Development and Management • Familiarity with requirements decomposition and verification campaigns ASSystEng We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do. Educational assistance is available to employees who want to continue to learn and develop skills/knowledge. Our educational assistance program supports employee development by providing resources such as: Free Education Advice: Call 855-222-2398 to speak with an experienced advisor to tailor an educational program to your career goals and needs. Tuition Savings at Accredited Schools: Access a network of accredited schools in a variety of locations (and online) to take advantage of reduced tuition costs and waived fees. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide benefits for the member, our leaders and the company. Our ERGs offer opportunities to be a friend, be active, be a volunteer, be a leader, to be recognized and to be yourself. Every ERG is inclusive of all employees Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Costa Mesa , Principal Systems Engineer, Engineering , San Diego, California