Principal/Sr Principal Vehicle Engineer/Orbit Analyst – Top Secret Clearance (Space/Satellite Systems)

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 Space Systems is seeking an Vehicle Engineer/Orbit Analyst to be a member of a cross-discipline specialist engineering team located in Colorado Springs, CO responsible for astrodynamics analytical support, system problem/anomaly resolution support, data trending, operational product updates, and performance analyses. The team also provides program expertise on engineering subsystems and maintains a baseline of operational products for a complex system. The candidate will have an active role in shaping the basis of how to execute planning and operations. The candidate should be a self-starter who has a passion for space and wants to be part of a team who shares that passion.

 Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Support on-orbit operations throughout the flight demonstration phase
• Provide mission planning expertise to ensure spacecraft/payload and ground system health and status
• Development and improvement of operations procedures or processes
• Development and improvement of operational scripts, including unit testing and system testing
• Investigation and diagnosis of unexpected system signatures
• Supporting the coordination and execution of system maintenance tasks and coordinating across multiple contractor organizations including customer and external system partners to diligently accomplish all tasks
• Having an extensive comprehension of different astrodynamics coordinate frames such as ECI and RIC
• Perform demonstrations and conduct briefings explaining how to utilize mission systems to accomplish task-based objectives
• Performing quantitative risk analysis
• Providing 24x7on-call support to lead the resolution of system issues and anomalies. May involve periodic rotating crew shifts to maintain proficiency. 

Candidate must be self-motivated, able to work in a dynamic team environment and work under general direction while independently determining and developing approaches to solutions

This position can be filled as a Principal (level 3) or Sr Principal (level 4) depending on experience.

 Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience (level 3) or minimum of 9 years of experience (level 4) in a related engineering field such as mechanical, electrical, aerospace and/or operations
• U.S, citizen
• Active or current DoD Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain SCI
• Strong technical background in orbital mechanics/astrodynamics
• Knowledge and experience in satellite operations engineering disciplines to include attitude control, power management, thermal control, propulsion, command and data handling, flight and ground software, and anomaly determination and resolution
• Conduct a range of modeling, simulation and analysis in orbital maneuvers, orbit estimation
• Expertise in one or more of the following technical disciplines: orbital propagation and perturbations, orbit estimation, orbital maneuvers, modeling and simulation and analysis
• Familiar with a variety of astrodynamics tools (System Tool Kit (STK), FreeFlyer, NASA General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), Orbit Determination Toolbox (ODTBX))
• Experience with developing and presenting briefing slides to senior leaders and executive level personnel
• Ability to work odd and/or extended hours covering a 24/7 period and periodic rotating shifts
• Be able to make decisions under high pressure environments and maintain composure in stressful situations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ability to develop and maintain operational procedures, products and training materials
• Previous experience with troubleshooting, anomaly resolution and performing analysis on operational systems
• Support mission simulation, scripting, and verification activities.
• Proficiency with one or more of the following programming languages/tools: MATLAB, Python, SIMULINK, Fortran, Java, C/ C++
• Experience with rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) or formation flight
• Experience with optimization techniques and their application to trajectory optimization and/or multi-objective optimization
• Prior aerospace-related work experience for a U.S Government Agency or Contractor
• Background/fundamental understand of performing statistical analysis
• Active TS/SCI clearance

*This position may require occasional shift work including swing or night shift, or 12-hr shifts*

Salary Range: $92,200 USD - $138,400 USD

Salary Range 2: $114,300 USD - $171,500 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.