Senior Staff Chief Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Palmdale
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time Description 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for Senior Staff Chief Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals on our ADD organization. This role is located in Palmdale, CA . This role will support the ATDC Enterprise Chief Engineer and Operating Unit (OU) Director as the OU technical authority for all aspects of engineering on all program elements such as: avionics integration, flight sciences, subsystems, survivability, system test, system engineering, and vehicle engineering. The OU Chief Engineer will lead a multi-disciplined engineering team to achieve technical performance of the program while meeting cost and schedule requirements. The definitive technical authority for all aspects of engineering on all program elements (hardware/software/support/test) and leads a multi disciplined engineering team managing the technical performance of the program meeting cost and schedule requirements including subcontracted elements. Ensures that the program is adhering to sound engineering processes in the development, production, test and sustainment of products for our customers and is compliant with company policies, procedures, and quality standards. Maintains cognizance over technical activities. Continually coordinates with the program team leaders to ensure the execution of program statement of work and baselines and serves as the technical point of contact with the customer. Primary responsibilities will include but are not limited to: Support the Enterprise Chief Engineer and OU Director Serve as the technical authority for the Operating Unit, to include chairing the OU Technical Review Board Be the technical liaison and independent advisor to the OU Director and Program Managers Maintain cognizance, and ensures horizontal integration, over technical activities within program Formally present technical solutions to senior leadership Provide technical leadership, direction and mentoring to engineering team members across all functional organizations to achieve program goals Act as the Control Account Manager (CAM) for engineering work packages as needed Support and shape proposal activities Support Root Cause Corrective Action processes We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do. Basic Qualifications: Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 14 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 12 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 10 years of related professional/military experience Must have an active Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation) Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company. Must have the ability to obtain and maintain SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company. Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearances within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company. Must have experience formally leading engineering teams/and or organizations to achieve a common goal Must have strong communication skills and the ability to lead the customer through reviews of technical performance Must have strong collaboration skills with experience integrating multiple engineering specialties and working across BUs, divisions, internal organizations as well as with industry partners and customer community Must have the ability to motivate and guide teams and activities without having formal “ownership” of the staff supporting those activities Must have exposure to Earned Value techniques and management Preferred Qualifications: Current, active DoD Top Secret clearance Experience leading the performance of technical design, production, or integration tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all requirements as either a chief engineer or technical lead Excellent organizational and written communication skills, as well as project management planning and presentation skills Ability to collaborate and achieve consensus when dealing with groups from diverse organizations and backgrounds. Prior clearance to a Special Access Program (SAP) or Special Compartmentalized Information (SCI) Broad technical experience and exposure to: avionics, vehicle engineering, software engineering, survivability engineering, system test and systems engineering Experience in an executive and external facing role Prior experience working with the Q0-1301 (MRB) processes Proficient with MS Project, Excel, Power Point, Word DAU CAM Certified Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 - $289,200.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and 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 application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity 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 and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Bakersfield , Senior Staff Chief Engineer, Engineering , Palmdale, California