Principal Test Engineer / Sr. Principal Test Engineer (Environmental Testing)

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.

The Payload and Ground Systems organization within the Northrop Grumman Space Systems pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!

Northrop Grumman in Azusa, CA is seeking a level Principal (Level 3) or Sr. Principal (Level 4) Environmental Test Engineer experienced in payload level environmental testing of space products including thermal vacuum, thermal cycle and vibration.  The selected candidate will provide oversight to environmental laboratory resource planning, maintenance and calibration of facility equipment, test execution and process improvements, and personnel training.   

This position will report on-site daily to our Azusa campus. We can accommodate partial telework but this is fully dependent upon business/team/program need so not always going to be a specific schedule.

Job Duties:

• Oversee and direct engineering technicians and related activities
• Responsibility for efficiency and organization of vibration facilities and associated hardware / software equipment. 
• Author test procedures in coordination with program requirements.  Conduct and oversee execution of testing procedures on customer test articles per work instructions and training procedures. 
• Complete technical reports, test results, and all required documentation
• Complete test readiness reviews (TRR’S)/CTP’s/CTB’s
• Coordinate testing programs and test equipment use in cooperation with program management, test resources and personnel.
• Coordinate work shifts and extended coverage to support program schedules as required.
• Oversee a regular maintenance schedule for all vibration test systems and associated equipment 
• Reviewing of basic mechanical and electrical drawings.

Basic Qualifications: (Principal Level 3) 

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics) field & 5 years of related test engineering experience, OR a Master’s Degree in a STEM field & 3 years of related test engineering experience
• Experience working in a testing lab environment and maintaining test lab equipment
• Experience operating electromagnetic vibration systems and thermal chambers
• Experience in Space industry standards tests (EMI/EMC, Qualification Tests, Vibration, Shock, etc.)
• Experience in conducting Test Readiness Reviews
• Experience with highly monitored schedule driven programs and proven records of on time goal accomplishments
• During testing, the ability to work extended hours and off shifts 
• Demonstrated experiences of good mechanical abilities and background. 
• Ability to obtain & maintain a DoD Secret level clearance (US Citizenship Required)

Basic Qualifications: (Sr. Principal Level 4)

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics) field & 9 years of related test engineering experience, OR a Master’s Degree in a STEM field & 7 years of related test engineering experience
• Experience working in a testing lab environment and maintaining test lab equipment
• Experience operating electromagnetic vibration systems and thermal chambers
• Experience in Space industry standards tests (EMI/EMC, Qualification Tests, Vibration, Shock, etc.)
• Experience in conducting Test Readiness Reviews
• Experience with highly monitored schedule driven programs and proven records of on time goal accomplishments
• During testing, the ability to work extended hours and off shifts 
• Demonstrated experiences of good mechanical abilities and background. 
• Ability to obtain & maintain a DoD Secret level clearance (US Citizenship Required)

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s Degree in a STEM field
• 6+ years of test engineering experience
• Current & active security clearance
• Demonstrated experience managing, training, and motivating work teams
• Experience setting up and troubleshooting environmental test setups including fixture development, flight hardware installation, instrumentation and HW/SW interfaces. 
• Familiarity with Unholtz-Dickie and ETS electro dynamic shakers; Vibration Research and M+P Controllers; data recorders, high speed DAQ’s; oscilloscopes; PCB signal conditioners, and accelerometers
• Experience with response limiting vibration testing and evaluating power spectral density (PSD) data real-time
• Experience with Spectral Dynamics controllers (Linux OS) and Piranha High Speed Data Acquisition Systems
• Experience setting up and troubleshooting vibration test setups including fixture evaluations, flight hardware installation to vibration fixtures, instrumenting fixtures and flight hardware with accelerometers. 
• Experience developing and evaluating shock and vibration models; finite element model development experience
• Comfortable extracting models and understanding designs made in CAD packages
• MATLAB/Labview knowledge is a plus.

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

Salary Range 2: $117,700 USD - $176,500 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.