Staff / Sr. Principal RF Antenna Cognizant Engineer (Space / Satellite Systems) – Dulles, VA

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 is seeking an RF Antenna Cognizant Engineer.  Physically realizing a producible spaceflight antenna requires extensive interaction with other disciplines in spacecraft engineering, such as mechanical and thermal engineering.  The Antenna Cog E must be comfortable collaborating with these other disciplines and incorporating design changes accordingly.  This is not an academic position producing theoretical studies.  To be successful in this role, you should want to work on flight hardware, which is a multi-disciplinary environment, and typically has tight schedules requiring energetic and self-starting individuals.

The Dulles team includes diverse skills, so some Cost Account Management work is included in the responsibilities for this role (managing cost and schedule for the antenna under development).  Ideally, you will have some experience with CAM, but these responsibilities can be trained.  If interested in this role, you should be willing to manage cost & schedules.

Job Responsibilities 

In this role you will:

• Oversee the complete development and space-qualification of integrated antenna systems and components (especially reflector and feed systems) from performance definition to final spacecraft-level test, including cost, schedule, and technical responsibility 
• Generate key procurement and hardware development documents including Performance Specifications, Interface Control Documents, Test Plans and Procedures, and Statements of Work 
• Multidisciplinary (mechanical, RF thermal) and cross-site collaboration and coordination for a full life cycle development of a spacecraft antenna system, especially an antenna feed network.
• Technical assistance to Subcontracts in the negotiation of component specifications, deliverables, cost, and schedule 
• Subcontractor management and continuous technical monitoring throughout the procurement life cycle (some travel required) 
• Design, analysis, optimization, manufacturing, and test of antenna systems for wide variety of satellite programs 

Additional Responsibilities

Additionally, you may: 

• Provide integration and test support for the antenna systems including unit-level functional and environmental testing, spacecraft level RF range testing, and in-orbit checkout 
• Support to Business Development initiatives on antenna performance and cost estimates for rapid turn-around proposals 
• Support design and analysis of a variety of antenna types including: reflectors, feeds, patch antennas, wire antennas (e.g., helices), and arrays through modeling/simulation with a variety of industry-standard design tools such as GRASP, POS, CHAMP, HFSS, SBR+, MATLAB, etc.

Basic Qualifications

Education and Experience 

Sr. Principal Engineer

BS in a STEM field (ideally Engineering) & 9 years of experience (or Masters with 7 yrs or PhD with 4 yrs)  

Must have U.S. Citizenship

Staff Engineer

BS in a STEM field (ideally Engineering) & 14 years of experience (or Masters with 12 yrs or PhD with 9 yrs)  

Must have U.S. Citizenship

Preferred Experience

• Cost Account Management skills a strong plus  
• Possess aerospace experience 
• Experiences in satellite reflector antenna and phased array antenna designs 
• Experience with antenna range testing, including Far-Field and Near-Field 
• Adaptive to fast paced, dynamic environment 
• Dependability and good interpersonal skills - Excellent verbal and written communications skills

The Northrop Grumman Tactical Space Division is a strategic partner specializing in commercial and classified partnerships with the design, delivery, operation and sustainment of satellites and human spacecraft.  We support science and space exploration through our various partnerships, including NASA’s Artemis program with the goal to return humans to the Moon in 2024 and the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) program that has discovered more than twenty confirmed plants.  Recognized as an industry leader, we also develop highly specialized space and satellite components. 

Northrop Grumman offers a competitive and robust benefits program.

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:

Medical

Dental & Vision coverage

401k

Educational Assistance

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

Paid Time Off

Health & Wellness Resources

Employee Discounts

Flexible Schedules (For example the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work)

For more details please visit our total rewards site or chat with one of our recruiters to learn more.

Link: www.northropgrumman.com/benefits

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Salary Range: $125,800 USD - $188,600 USD

Salary Range 2: $156,000 USD - $234,000 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.