Principal Experimental Physicist/Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist

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.

Transformational Computing Physicists apply fundamental theoretical physics and chemistry-based scientific theory to the field of engineering to provide solutions for difficult technical challenges.  They demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the role of the design of experiments, and the requirements for creating statistically relevant results. Transformational Computing Physicists possess a thorough understanding of fundamentals of device physics and material science, including topics such as superconducting and low--temperature physical phenomena; semiconductor physics and devices; quantum mechanics. They also possess a basic understanding of fundamentals and best practices in digital design, RF engineering, electrical engineering, software engineering. Job responsibilities include modeling and simulation of novel devices; developing and leading experiments; cryogenic test and measurement of advanced circuits; developing procedures, methods, and tools for test; providing direction to test engineers and technicians; analyzing experimental data and provide recommendations and feedback; and publishing novel results. Transformational Computing Physicists may also lead multi-disciplinary teams in the execution of program tasking, and then report results to internal and external customers.

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.
 

We are seeking an experimental physicist with a robust coding background that has an interest in data acquisition and test automation. The ideal candidate has experience with OOP in both Python and Matlab, developed a codebase for a test environment, and experience with standard lab instrumentation such as RF/DC sources and arbitrary waveform generators. Strong candidates are willing to learn about the underlying codebase to build tools and optimize current procedures. This candidate is expected to aid in the development of algorithms, architecture, and analytical tools that contribute to automation for a test lab.

This position requires on site work located at our Advanced Technology Lab (ATL) in Linthicum, Maryland OR our Annapolis Junction, Maryland location.

Your responsibilities:

• You will be an interface between the test teams and software team to understand software requirements and to prototype software, such as baseline tools, updating the existing framework, designing software architecture, and develop instrument drivers.
• You will be assisting the launching of tools developed by the software team, helping troubleshoot test lab bugs, and addressing any other software related issues that arise during test operations.
• You will be responsible for maintaining data acquisition codebase through building unit tests and peer reviewing pull requests.
• You will be prototyping and improving test automation procedures, for example developing test modules that are able to collect metrics for a new design of experiment in an automated fashion.

What you need to be successful in the role:

• Interest in interfacing with the test teams to optimize test automation.
• Motivation to learn new technologies and technical skills.
• Ability to collaborate in a small group setting (4-7 people) as well as work independently.

This position can be filled at the Principal Experimental Physicist level OR Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist level.  Qualifications for both are listed below:

Basic Qualifications for Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or a related field (or will complete by December 2023); Master's Degree and 3 years of relevant experience; bachelor's degree with 5 plus years of relevant experience.
• Experience with data acquisition and data pipeline codebases and electronics.
• Experience in developing and contributing to a larger scale software projects.
• Proficiency writing code in Matlab and Python in a version-controlled environment.
• US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance per business requirements.

Preferred Qualifications for Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or related field.
• Knowledge of cryogenics physics, quantum information, and familiarity with COTS and open-source packages such as Apache NiFi, QCoDeS, and MongoDB.
• Experience writing in a version-controlled, OOP-based codebase in Python or Matlab for a large team with multiple contributors/users.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or a related field and 4 plus years' experience; Master's Degree and 7 years of relevant experience; Bachelor's Degree and 9 plus years' experience.
• Experience with data acquisition and data pipeline codebases and electronics.
• Experience in developing and contributing to a larger scale software projects.
• Proficiency writing code in Matlab and Python in a version-controlled environment.
• US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS/SCI) clearance per business requirements.

Preferred Qualifications for Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or related field.
• Knowledge of cryogenics physics, quantum information, and familiarity with COTS and open-source packages such as Apache NiFi, QCoDeS, and MongoDB.
• Experience writing in a version-controlled, OOP-based codebase in Python or Matlab for a large team with multiple contributors/users.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Salary Range: $120,900 USD - $181,300 USD

Salary Range 2: $149,800 USD - $224,800 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.