Principal / Sr. Principal Pointing & Tracking Controls 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 seeking an Electro-Mechanical Control Systems Engineer to join a team designing and building advanced, state-of-the-art systems in our Baltimore, MD location. 

Overview:
Our team supports multiple programs to develop Line of Sight (LOS) servo control systems. As part of that team, you will support design solutions for electromechanical servo systems used to implement position control for RF antennas and inertially stabilized gimbals. RF antennas require servo control for precise positioning while gimballed optical payloads require inertial stabilization for improved accuracy of collected imagery. The servo system in each application ensures precise pointing as well rejection of torque disturbances generated by the platforms such as ground, aircraft, space, etc.

Roles and responsibilities include:

• Function as the lead design engineer for one or more parts of servo control systems.  These could include the design of software and/or the hardware used for implementing control of various servo motors and mechanisms.

• Support integration and testing of precision gimbal stabilized systems and radar positioner systems.

• Analyze the designed control system in both time and frequency domains. Iterate through the design process until the control system meets all system requirements.

• Design and implement communication interfaces to upstream system software and servo components such as optical encoders, rate sensors, IMU, and INS.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Engineer (Band 3):

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other related technical degree, and 5+ years of relevant experience (3 years with a Master of Science degree, 0 years with a PhD)

• Candidates should have a strong control systems background, and experience with the design, integration and testing of multiple parts of precision gimbal stabilized systems.  These include gimbals, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), embedded DSPs or microcontrollers, boresighting, transfer alignment algorithms, motor selection, motor drives, and/or the EO/IR devices being controlled. 

• Experience with the design of one or more parts of servo control systems

• Experience with integration and test of one or more parts of servo control systems

• Able to function in a multi-disciplinary team-oriented environment and rapidly adapt to changing work priorities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain a Secret clearance

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal (Band 4):

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other related technical degree, and 9+ years of relevant experience (7 years with a Master of Science degree, 4 years with a PhD)

• Candidates should have a strong control systems background, and experience with the design, integration and testing of multiple parts of precision gimbal stabilized systems.  These include gimbals, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), embedded DSPs or microcontrollers, boresighting, transfer alignment algorithms, motor selection, motor drives, and/or the EO/IR devices being controlled. 

• Experience with the design of one or more parts of multi-axis pointing and tracking control systems with inertial stabilization

• Experience with integration and test of one or more parts of multi-axis pointing and tracking control systems with inertial stabilization

• Able to function in a multi-disciplinary team-oriented environment and rapidly adapt to changing work priorities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain a Secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of digital control theory

• Experience analyzing control system performance using Matlab

• Experience implementing software control algorithms in C/C++ using microcontrollers or Digital Signal Processors (DSPs)

• Understanding of matrix math and coordinate system transformations

• Understanding of real-time embedded systems and interrupt-drive architecture

• Experience as a lead electrical design engineer for Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs)

• Experience with simulation and analysis of complete multi-axis pointing and tracking control systems with inertial stabilization

• Understanding of tradeoffs involving mechanical design and servo electronics design

• Experience supporting trade studies

• Experience with the selection of position sensors, rate sensors, motors, motor drives and/or digital controllers based on cost constraints and technical performance requirements

• Troubleshooting, integration, and test experience

• Proficiency with MATLAB, Simulink, and circuit simulation tools 

• Active Secret security clearance

Salary Range: $96,900 USD - $145,300 USD

Salary Range 2: $120,000 USD - $180,000 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.