Chief Consulting Engineer – Space Components & Strategic Businesses

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.

An organization within Northrop Grumman’s Payload and Ground Systems (PGS) division, Space craft Components is a leading designer, producer, and supplier of spacecraft components that power and enable satellites of all classes. Products include spacecraft panels, bus structures, precision optical structures, deployable structural systems and mechanisms, solar arrays, and antenna reflectors. Our products are on virtually every U.S. satellite built in the last 20 years.

Learn more about Space craft Components at our website: https://www.northropgrumman.com/space/spacecraft-components/.

Northrop Grumman Space Components Business Unit has an opening for a Consulting Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position can be located in San Diego, CA, Oxnard, CA, Goleta, CA, Devens, MA, or Beltsville, MD for 1st shift. 25% travel is expected.

The Consulting Engineer is the definitive technical authority for all aspects of engineering on all program elements (hardware/software/production support/test) and leads a multi-disciplined engineering team managing the technical performance of the program, while meeting cost and schedule requirements. The Consulting Engineer will help the solve the toughest problems, by leading technical failure and root cause investigations, and resulting corrective active development and implementation.

Ensures that the program is adhering to sound engineering processes in the development, production, test and sustainment of products for our customers and is compliance with company policies, procedures, and quality standards. Maintains cognizance over technical activities within program IPTs and ensures horizontal integration of the best engineering practices across the company. Continually coordinates with the systems engineering and program integration team (PIT) to ensure the execution of program statement of work and baselines and serves as the technical point of contact with the customer.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Leading technical failure and root cause investigations, and resulting corrective active implementation

• Making decisions that impact the organization’s operations, and services

• Comprehending and analyzing complex problems and developing solutions

• Facilitating technical support, review, and approval of engineering documents and drawings

• Coordinating across programs and functions for common efficiencies and operational gains

• Good communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and good oral and written presentation skills

• Problem-solving experience in a team environment

Areas of Technical Expertise

• An in-depth knowledge of the space environment and the physics behind them:  Thermal, Radiation and how structure responds to those environments.

• Detailed knowledge of mechanical environment of launch and how structures behave when exposed to these environments

• General knowledge of antenna systems and how they react to space environments

• General knowledge of the systems on a spacecraft (Bus and propulsion, solar arrays and power, payload and antennas instruments, and thermal systems)

• In-depth knowledge of manufacturing of Composites: Prepreg process, lamination, cure, bonding, machining, structure assembly

• General knowledge of Metallic and metallic assembly Machining, welding, bonding fastening

• Wipe testing and how it works: Lap shear, T peel,  Shor hardness, DSC,FTIR, EDAX. SEM, XPS

• Expertise in mechanical testing: Thermal, Vibration, Static, Thermal Vac

• Expertise in Test instrumentation and  controls: Strain gauges, Accelerometers, TCs, Das, load control, Thermal control acoustic control

• Strong working knowledge of Finite Element Analysis

• Use of failure tools such as, Ishikawa/ 8D fishbone, KT analysis, 5Why, Go-See

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field & 20 years of related technical experience; Master’s degree in a STEM field & 18 years of related technical experience, or PHD in a STEM field; 15+ years of related technical experience

• Experience leading failure and root cause investigations, and corrective action development

• Demonstrated ability to self-direct activities in support of identified program goals with limited supervision; success is measured using a long-term perspective of incremental improvements to overall program effectiveness

• Demonstrated history of customer intimacy, acting as a technical spokesperson

• Experience as SME, Technical lead, Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, Chief Engineer, or other engineering leadership role that demonstrated team building, organizational, and interpersonal skills

• Expertise with Product Support, focusing on reliability analysis and improvements

• Extensive understanding of the Design, Manufacturing, and Test process

• Knowledge of systems development, integration, and test

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Agile hardware/software programs

• Experience directly managing or leading engineering teams

• Experience with Quality Assurance, Configuration and Data Management

• Demonstrated success as a Chief Engineer or Deputy Chief Engineer

• Post graduate degree in STEM or technical management

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This position reports to San Diego, CA, USA, however, you are able to work from any of the additional 4 locations listed above.

Salary Range: $180,000 USD - $270,000 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.