Principal Optical Engineer or Sr. Principal Optical 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 has an immediate opening for a Principal Optical Engineer or Sr. Principal Optical Engineer.  The selected candidate for this position will report to the Northrop Grumman Precision Targeting and Protection facility in Apopka, FL. 

What You’ll Get To Do:

The new team member will support the design, integration, test, and production of laser/electro-optical, network and communication systems.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Designing optical instruments, assemblies and subsystems using optical and engineering design tool
• Supporting the assembly, alignment, integration & test of optical hardware
• Working with and managing external suppliers to enable delivery of critical optical hardware
• Working both independently and as part of larger diverse teams, including the capacity to lead engineering teams which draw upon a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines
• Developing technical solutions to complex problems which require the regular use of ingenuity and creativity.
• Perform an end-to-end optical lens design, analysis, tolerancing, and simulation using Zemax
• Attend and prepares materials for presentation during System Requirement Review, System Functional Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review and System Verification Review.
• Support trade studies, system sensitivity studies, design optimization studies, system performance assessments, system design assessments, mission analysis and timelines and concept of operations development.

"This position may be offered at the Principal Optical Engineer, or a Sr. Principal Optical Engineer based on the qualifications listed below."

Basic Qualifications for a Principal Optical Engineer: 

• BS Engineering degree in Optical Engineering, Optical Sciences, Opto-Mechanical Engineering, or related Engineering field with a concentration in Optics and a minimum of 5 years of related experience.
• US Citizenship is required with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Clearance
• Proficiency in one of the optical design/analysis tools such as Zemax (preferred), Code V, OSLO, Trace Pro, FRED or equivalent.
• Experience developing engineering solutions for EO/IR instruments, sensors and payloads, or high energy lasers & directed energy systems, or optical communications systems
• Fundamental understanding of optical architectures from specifications and first principles (i.e. reflective, refractive, pupils, stops, or relays)
• Understanding of contributors to radiometric performance in EO/IR payloads

Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Optical Engineer:

• BS Engineering degree in Optical Engineering, Optical Sciences, Opto-Mechanical Engineering, or related Engineering field with a concentration in Optics and a minimum of 9 years of related experience.
• US Citizenship is required with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Clearance
• Proficiency in one of the optical design/analysis tools such as Zemax (preferred), Code V, OSLO, Trace Pro, FRED or equivalent.
• Experience developing engineering solutions for EO/IR instruments, sensors and payloads, or high energy lasers & directed energy systems, or optical communications systems
• Fundamental understanding of optical architectures from specifications and first principles (i.e. reflective, refractive, pupils, stops, or relays)
• Understanding of contributors to radiometric performance in EO/IR payloads

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Expertise in optical design of multi-element imaging systems.
• Familiarity with MWIR/LWIR optical materials.
• Direct experience in the specification and testing of optical systems including working knowledge of optical test and evaluation equipment, and understanding of precision alignment & metrology techniques
• Experience working with and managing suppliers of optical components
• Familiarity with alignment sensitivities associated with free-space beam paths, coating performance, and stray light and thermal management.
• Ability to design optical systems and test equipment, including free-space optical beam trains, telescopes, adaptive optics assemblies, and focal planes, and diagnostics such as interferometers, wavefront sensors, and near-field, far-field and imaging sensors
• Experience with technical writing and proposal efforts
• Capable of preparing and presenting briefing packages to both internal and external customers, communicating technical approaches and findings

Salary Range: $99,500 USD - $149,300 USD

Salary Range 2: $123,400 USD - $185,000 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.