Principal RF Systems Engineer / Senior Principal RF Systems Engineer

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 Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security.  Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter.  Come be a part of our mission!

We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal RF Systems Engineer / Senior Principal RF Systems Engineer based out of Rolling Meadows, IL.

What You’ll get to Do:

Principal Systems Engineer/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer opportunities are available in three disciplines:

Systems Design: Tasking can include creating and refining Model Based System Engineering products (System behavioral models, Use Case realizations, State Machines, etc.), generation and update of System and sub-system level specifications in DOORS, including requirements traceability, creation of Verification Cross Reference Matrices (VCRM), verification traceability (tracing requirements to test plans/procedures/results),and update and maintenance of system drawings and documents. As a part of the SEIT team, a Systems Design engineer is exposed to the front-end Systems engineering process and coordinates across many disciplines to ensure that the system description and requirements are properly and thoroughly defined and captured.

Modeling & Simulation: Assignments include analysis and trades of product line architectures using analytical models and mission level simulations. A primary task for a modeling and simulations engineer is software development of in-house models and algorithms. Strong domain knowledge combined with valuable software development skills are required to produce the accurate models that drive the critical analysis needed to design our future systems. As a member of the SEIT team, a Modeling and Simulations engineer gains a deep understanding of how our systems architecture design process meets our mission level goals.

Integration & Test: Efforts may include generation of test plans, test procedures, test automation, test reports, and execution of integration test activities in System Integration Labs (SILs) or offsite locations. As a part of the SEIT team, an Integration & Test engineer gains an understanding of the Systems Engineering process across a product's lifecycle and gains a full appreciation for how the avionics systems operate.

During the interview process, our team will seek to understand both your experience and preferences in order to determine which area provides the best opportunity for you to succeed. These groups and engineering roles with SEIT provide a great opportunity to work alongside a variety of other Systems, Hardware, Software and Mechanical engineers to successfully execute on mission-critical programs.

This position may be filled as a Principal RF Systems Engineer or a Senior Principal RF Systems Engineer.

Basic Qualifications for RF Principal Systems Engineer: 

 • BS degree in STEM field with 5+ years related experience or MS degree in STEM field with 3+ years of related experience

• Experience in an integration and test environment for complex electronic systems

• Must have the ability to work in an integrated product team (IPT) environment

• Demonstrated proficiency in analytical thinking and problem-solving skills and Systems Thinking mindset

• Excellent decision making and communication (written and oral) skills

• U.S. citizen and must be able to obtain Interim Secret security clearance prior to start. Once started, must have the ability to obtain and maintain Secret Security Clearance.

Basic Qualifications for Senior RF Principal Systems Engineer: 

 • BS degree in STEM field with 9+ years related experience or MS degree in STEM field with 7+ years of related experience

• Experience in an integration and test environment for complex electronic systems

• Must have the ability to work in an integrated product team (IPT) environment

• Demonstrated proficiency in analytical thinking and problem-solving skills and Systems Thinking mindset

• Excellent decision making and communication (written and oral) skills

• U.S. citizen and must be able to obtain Interim Secret security clearance prior to start. Once started, must have the ability to obtain and maintain Secret Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Working knowledge of one of more of the following specialty areas for integration and test related to RF systems: sensors/antennas, transmitters/receivers, optics, detection and tracking

• Experience with real-time signal processing in both firmware and software. Agile experience a plus.

• Knowledge of MATLAB, C, C++, CUDA, VHDL, OpenCL, SysML, Python, or other scripting languages

• Experience with Model Based Engineering (MBE) concepts and tools (Cameo and Rhapsody)

• Working knowledge of DOORS and ClearCase/ClearQuest

• Recent experience creating integration and test, design verification test and flight test plans and procedures

• Experience in an integration and test environment for complex electronic systems evaluation

• Experience in development and earned value management of cost accounts and schedules as related to Systems Engineering tasks

• Ability and willingness to travel

• Active Top Secret Clearance is preferred.

Salary Range: $99,800 USD - $149,800 USD

Salary Range 2: $123,800 USD - $185,800 USD

Employees may be eligible for 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 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.