Sr Principal Engineer Satellite Systems - Chandra Flight Operations

Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer to support the operation and maintenance of NASA’s Chandra spacecraft. The Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of NASA’s Great Observatories and delivers ground-breaking science to a world-wide scientific user community.

This individual will work on the Flight Operations Team at the Chandra Operations Control Center (OCC) in Burlington, MA and will interface directly with project scientists from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NASA to help maintain and operate the spacecraft components.

Specific duties include:

• Monitoring subsystem state of health through detailed trending and analysis of satellite data
• Flight system anomaly resolution, including troubleshooting, execution of response and recovery procedures, and development and test of alternative operating modes
• Development of innovative operational approaches and system use techniques
• Development or enhancement of spacecraft commanding and telemetry monitoring products and procedures to effectively conduct on-orbit operations
• Report generation, briefings, and direct customer interactions

Primary responsibilities will be in the areas of the attitude control and propulsion system elements.  The major hardware components include sensors (gyros, fine/coarse Sun sensors, star tracking camera), actuators (reaction wheels, solar array drives, thrusters), and associated data routing/processing electronics, along with the detailed control law software that provides highly accurate pointing and maneuvering performance for the observatory. Working with both software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop spacecraft simulators at the control center is also a part of this role.

The selected candidate should be a motivated self-starter who is able to work both collaboratively and independently on long and short term investigations/analyses. The Flight Operations Team values the ability to develop and communicate outside-the-box solutions and we share our customer’s passion for advancing the understanding of the universe. This position is nominally day shift hours, but the Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer will be expected to be on call for emergencies or critical operational activities, which may require reporting to the Operations Control Center and may occur outside of nominal business hours.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 9+ years of engineering experience OR Master’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 7+ years of engineering experience OR PhD Degree in a STEM discipline and 4+ years experience
• Hands-on experience with the design, build, analysis, operation, and/or test of satellite attitude control and propulsion systems.
• Strong fundamentals in classical and modern control theory/design/analysis
• Ability to perform complex system analyses using existing and/or self-developed tools
• Ability to work through complex real-time problems quickly and with limited information

Preferred Qualifications

• BS in STEM discipline with 14 years experience OR Master's degree in STEM discipline, with 12+ years’ experience OR PhD with 9 years experience
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: spacecraft guidance navigation and control (including Kalman filters, state determination, attitude estimation), spacecraft and payload/instrument precision pointing system design, analysis and V&V, spacecraft attitude control system analysis, system engineering and design verifications and validation, attitude control sensors/actuators, advanced algorithm development
• Strong engineering fundamentals in fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, mechanics and materials
• Prior experience in liquid rocket propulsion development, design, test and/or flight operations
• Experience in on-orbit satellite operations
• Experience in the development/enhancement of models for use in planning spacecraft operations
• A proven team player and effective leader with excellent communication, interpersonal, verbal and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with UNIX/Linux, Matlab, Python, Fortran, Ada, and Excel

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.