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Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer

Northrop Grumman
Be an Early ApplicantFull Timeprincipal
United States-California-San DiegoPosted Today

Role Overview

Northrop Grumman is hiring a Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer. This is a full-time role in United States-California-San Diego. posted today. applications are still in the early window, before most candidates have applied. Full responsibilities, required qualifications, and the apply link are listed in the description below.

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Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top 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 is looking to add a Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer to join our team in Rancho Bernardo, CA. This position will be in our Avionics Integration Organization.

The candidate should be a self-starter with familiarity working in an Integrated Product Team construct. The selected candidate will provide key engineering support for a payloads subsystem and will report directly to the subsystem engineering technical lead and program manager.

Roles and Responsibilities will include:

  • Meeting support responsibilities include readiness reviews, site specific training, test briefs and debriefs, security and coordination with test directors. 

  • Post-test support responsibilities include review, analysis and defect investigation of test logs, and validation of test data files, hardware and software troubleshooting on the platform and defect duplication and analysis in a lab. 

  • Pre-test support responsibilities include support and checkout of the system, including but not limited to test planning activities to ensure that test objectives are achieved, and results remain within operational specifications of the subsystem.

  • Responsibilities will also include coordination of anomalies with engineering and supplier Subject Matter Experts. This includes review of service bulletins, training for new software upgrades, review of new NG and supplier generated Discrepancy Reports and tracking existing Discrepancy Reports as new analyses become available.

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 10% may be required.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.

  • Practical experience working with payload systems.

  • Technical development and systems integration experience.

  • Experience with managing suppliers.

  • 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:

  • Active USG Top Secret clearance or higher (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).

  • Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.

  • Supplier Management Experience

  • Practical experience working with other payload systems in addition to EW systems.

  • Experience leading cross-discipline teams

  • Experience serving as a proposal estimator

  • Experience in technical writing such as tech volumes & white papers

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.

About Northrop Grumman

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Northrop Grumman

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for the Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer position at Northrop Grumman?

Use the Apply button above to submit your application directly to Northrop Grumman. Most applications take less than 5 minutes if your resume and contact details are ready, and you'll be routed to the employer's official application system to finish.

Where is the Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer position at Northrop Grumman located?

This position is based in United States-California-San Diego. Northrop Grumman has not indicated remote or hybrid options for this role, so candidates should plan for on-site work.

What does a Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer at Northrop Grumman earn?

Northrop Grumman has not disclosed a salary range in this posting. Many employers share specifics later in the interview process; you can also ask during a recruiter screen if compensation transparency is important to you.

When was the Principal Electronics Payloads Subsystems Engineer role at Northrop Grumman posted?

This role was posted on July 23, 2026 (today). It's still listed as actively hiring; we re-confirm openings against the source system multiple times per day and remove closed roles.

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