Staff Engineer Systems
- US citizenship
- Top Secret clearance
- Secret clearance
About the job
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret 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. ## *This position is contingent upon program award and the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company. Continued employment thereafter will be subject to maintenance of the level of clearance and program access required for the position in the future.
Northrop Grumman in Azusa, CA specializes in Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) space programs that deliver timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information to key decision makers.
The programs enhance global missile launch detection capability, support the nation's missile defense system, expand the country’s technical intelligence gathering capacity and bolster situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.
Northrop Grumman in Azusa needs qualified system engineers with an emphasis in applied math to fill Line-of-Sight (LOS), guidance, navigation and control (GNC), image processing, data exploitation algorithms development, testing and tuning needs on OPIR programs. Strong mathematics background in numerical methods and statistics strong desired.
Northrop Grumman has many payloads in different stages of their life including proposal and design, requirements and verification, ground testing and calibration, launch and on-orbit testing and calibration, and sustainment and anomaly resolution.
Work may include payload design, payload and space vehicle integration and test, analyzing LOS calibration system performance for on-orbit payloads as well as in support of flight readiness test activities for payload and ground systems.
Ideal candidate will have a technical understanding of LOS calibration techniques such as mechanical and optical misalignment compensation in a space environment, calibration errors associated with gyros, IMUs, and optical encoders, understanding of orbital mechanics and commonly used orbital reference frames and time systems; a working knowledge of Kalman filtering and least squares estimation techniques is strongly desired. ## Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in a STEM field plus 12 or more years of relevant work experience, OR a Master’s degree in a STEM field with 10 years of experience, OR a PhD in a STEM field with 8 years of relevant experience - Active U.S.
Government Secret Clearance or higher at time of application - Professional or coursework experience in the area of applied math - Experience with typical electro-optical pointing hardware such as encoders, resolvers, inertial measurement units, and motors. - Basic understanding of MATLAB ## Preferred Qualifications - Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI - Experience with pointing and control flight software constructs such as onboard attitude propagation and calibration, motor control, and anomaly, diagnostic, and resolution applications. - Professional experience with applied mathematics for embedded systems and numerical error analysis. - Technical understanding in LOS calibration techniques and working knowledge of Kalman filtering and least squares estimation techniques. - Proficiency in MATLAB and object-oriented programming. - Understanding of payload operations in relation to OPIR. - Familiarity with commonly used tools in both MS Windows & Unix environments.
Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below: https://www.northropgrumman.com/space . Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life.
For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site: Northrop Grumman Total Rewards ## As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for - Medical, Dental & Vision coverage - 401k - Educational Assistance - Life Insurance - Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions - Paid Time Off - Health & Wellness Resources - Employee Discounts - Flexible Schedules: for example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work. #LosAngelesSpace #LI-DB1 #SpaceEngJobs #SpaceSysEngJobs #SPEnhancedERAP Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00 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.
From Northrop Grumman's job posting, checked 7 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
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About Northrop Grumman
Satellites, space telescopes, cargo spacecraft and rocket boosters, inside a defense prime.
Pay on its listings: 98% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
How it pays: Paid as an employee on Northrop Grumman's own payroll (salaried or hourly, as each posting states).
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