Staff Flight Test Engineer - Mission Planner

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for Staff Flight Test Engineer – Mission Planner to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Test and Evaluation organization on the Flight Test Operations (FTO) team. This position will be located in Palmdale, CA.

The selected candidate will synthesize customer contractual needs and requirements into system test solutions that acknowledge technical, schedule and cost constraints. Tasking will include developmental flight test mission planning, ground/flight testing, fielding, and possible Programmed Depot Maintenance missions for multiple platforms as required using Laboratory Mission Data Systems (LMDS), Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) and Portable Flight Planning System (PFPS) mission planning software.  The selected candidate will ensure that specific requirements of all flight test missions are coordinated with responsible engineers and aircrew members to provide accurate mission planning data.  They will build flight mission cartridge and produce all required mission support documents, such as flight plans, charts, and weapons data along with maintaining currency of LMDS, JMPS and PFPS software and associated hardware.

Essential Job Duties:

• Provide pre/post mission support planning and documentation, training plans for mission planning, supporting formal meetings to support appropriate decisions regarding safety, efficiency, and effectiveness
• Review and evaluate test requirements to ensure completeness/feasibility and adequacy of test program.
• Provide laboratory support for integration testing
• Interface with test article/software design and analysis teams to define test configuration and data requirements
• Support test card development and review in collaboration with various engineering disciplines and test operations personnel
• Support test readiness reviews, and pre/post-test briefings
• Support test planning working groups as needed
• Conduct and contribute to pre and post-test data analyses to support anomaly identification and resolution. Maintains metrics on status of testing and constraints
• Must be willing to work extended shifts and odd hours to support flight test execution objectives.

Additional Job Responsibilities:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant industry mission planning software
• Ability to brief test results/issues to executive leadership.

This position requires outstanding written and oral communications skills. The selected candidate will be required to serve as either a principal subject matter focal point between maintenance, design engineering, and the test team - contractor and customer. They must be able to work under general direction to determine and develop approaches to solutions, can work both within a team environment and independently, self-motivated, thorough, and detailed, and be willing to learn additional test discipline areas.

The standard shift for this position is on the 4/10 schedule.  Shift adjustments may be required with advanced notification.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Science, Technical, Engineering or Math (STEM)
• A minimum of 12 years experience or 10 years with a Masters in STEM that includes military/professional experience with a background in Navigator/Mission Planner/support to flying operations, flight test, and/or flight training
• Demonstrated experience with mission planning, execution, and debriefing
• Requires ability to work any shift
• Must have an active DoD Secret clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into continuous evaluation)
• Must have ability to obtain and maintain Program Access (PAR)