Lead UX Engineer - Researcher/Designer (T04)

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.

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 by 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!

We are seeking a Lead UX Engineer - Researcher/Designer (T04) to join our team. In this role, you will lead the strategy, design and research efforts that shape human-centered experiences for mission-critical space systems. You will own the end-to-end UX process for complex programs, from framing user problems to delivering validated design solutions that drive customers and program success. You will set and govern UX standards, mentor junior team members, and influence cross-functional stakeholders including SEIT, software engineering, operations and program leadership. The ideal candidate is a seasoned UX professional who can operate with high autonomy, communicate, and deliver measurable impact for the program. You will apply human performance principles, methodologies, and technologies to the design of human-machine systems and products and lead efforts in research and design with your team.

This position can be located in Redondo Beach, CA, Aurora CO, or Colorado Springs, CO.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree in STEM; 6 years of relevant experience with a Master's degree in STEM; 4 years of relevant experience with a PhD in STEM
• Active Secret clearance required at the time of application
• Experience leading diverse internal and external partners across multiple geographic regions to align goals, drive engagement, and achieve project objectives
• Experience establishing user-centered design (UCD) principles and standardized products, research methodologies, usability testing, and leading user feedback events
• Strong portfolio showcasing user-centered design solutions for web applications (attached/linked on application and/or resume)
• Experience in effectively communicating UX findings and design rationale to senior leadership and customers, shaping requirements and roadmaps.
• Expertise in translating complex requirements and user needs into intuitive and effective design solutions
• Experience managing UX tasking and schedules, including tracking and reporting progress, with proficiency in Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS).
• Proven ability to adapt and integrate UX principles into an Agile program management methodology to support iterative development and user-centered outcomes
• Ability to travel ~10% of the time (conducting any user engagement visits or usability testing)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with MIL-STD-1472 (Department of Defense Design Criteria Standard for Human Engineering)
• Experience designing applications for military users
• Mastery of design and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Lucid)
• Familiarity with Systems Engineering
• Familiarity with software development languages
• Direct experience using the DOORS Requirements Management Database
• Expertise in design and prototyping tools (e.g., Axure, Lunacy, Adobe Suite, Lucid, Figma)
• Demonstrated experience designing in an agile software development environment
• Expertise with contributions to Human Factors Analyses (including but not limited to: Task Analyses and Predictive Workload Analyses, Usability studies, Workload, and Situational Awareness surveys)

Primary Level Salary Range: $124,900.00 - $206,000.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining ba