Chandra Flight Operation – Spacecraft Subsystems 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 Space Systems is seeking an experienced Space craft Subsystem Engineer to support the operation and maintenance of NASA’s Chandra spacecraft.  The Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of NASA’s Great Observatories and delivers ground-breaking science to a world-wide scientific user community.

This individual will work on the Flight Operations Team at the Chandra Operations Control Center (OCC) in Burlington, MA and will interface directly with project scientists from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NASA to help maintain and operate the spacecraft components. 

 Specific duties include:

• Monitoring subsystem state of health through detailed trending and analysis of satellite data

• Flight system anomaly resolution, including troubleshooting, execution of response and recovery procedures, and development and test of alternative operating modes

• Development of innovative operational approaches and system use techniques

• Development, enhancement and/or execution of spacecraft commanding and telemetry monitoring products and procedures to effectively conduct on-orbit operations

• Report generation, briefings, and direct customer interactions 

The selected candidate should be a motivated self-starter who is able to work both collaboratively and independently on long and short term investigations/analyses.  The Flight Operations Team values the ability to develop and communicate outside-the-box solutions and we share our customer’s passion for advancing the understanding of the universe.  This position is nominally day shift hours, but the Space craft Subsystem Engineer will be expected to be on­call for emergencies or critical operational activities, which may require reporting to the Operations Control Center and may occur outside of nominal business hours.  

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5+ years of engineering experience OR Master’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 3+ years of engineering experience

• Experience in spacecraft design or operations

• Familiar with common spacecraft power system technologies, including analog and digital circuits, photovoltaics and batteries

• Understanding of electrical schematics and assembly drawings

• Demonstrated data analysis and programming skills

• Ability to compile, present, and communicate data across a diverse group of stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent area of focus, with 3+ years’ experience

• Hands-on experience with the design, build, analysis, operation, and/or test of satellite power systems, including photovoltaics and batteries and power usage across an integrated spacecraft

• Experience with designing, implementing, and/or analyzing analog, digital or mixed-signal circuit boards which may contain a complex mix of passive and active components

• Experience with integration/testing/troubleshooting/qualification techniques, including use of hardware-in-the-loop simulation systems

• Experience in the development/enhancement of models for use in planning spacecraft operations

• Experience in mechanical/electrical troubleshooting of components and equipment

• Proficiency with UNIX/Linux, MATLAB, Python, STK, LTspice Simulator (or equivalent), and Excel

• Technical writing experience for test procedures and technical documentation

Salary Range: $95,000 USD - $142,400 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.