Principal / Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer
Northrop GrummanAbout the role
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 successful candidate will join Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems (DS) Specialized Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (STEWS) team in Rolling Meadows, IL. The role focuses on the development, testing, and sustainment of legacy and advanced electronic systems for U.S. Air Force platforms, including RF microwave airborne RADAR, infrared (IR) sensors, laboratory test stations, and transportable flightline electronic warfare combat test sets.
Our team provides sustainment support for the US Air Force platforms. Our team members complete engineering, reverse engineering, and logistics solution efforts to solve complex obsolescence problems and ensure warfighter training, combat and supportability.
You will support execution of various program activities to include test system design and evaluation, design and development of RF systems and components, radar, power and/or electrical systems architecture, components, circuits, and products for aircraft and flight line. The position will research, develop, design, and test electrical components, perform equipment, systems, and design evaluations and provide general engineering support for defense or commercial systems.
The role demands hands‑on troubleshooting of field failures, supplier coordination, and the ability to mentor junior engineers while interfacing with customers and program leadership.
Roles and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Lead or support system integration activities, coordinating with cross‑functional teams to deliver end‑to‑end system functionality.
Design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy hardware and system modifications.
Create and execute Verification and Validation (V&V) plans that ensure radar‑system requirements satisfy mission objectives and customer needs.
Diagnose hardware and sub‑assembly failures, determine root causes, and implement corrective actions.
Facilitate smooth transitions from design to production.
Produce and maintain engineering documentation, including specifications, change notices, parts lists, bills of materials, test plans, test procedures, and test reports to support the engineering development lifecycle and program goals.
Establish milestones and monitor adherence to master plans and schedules.
Evaluate, integrate, and test hardware and software components to reduce development risk and investigate anomalies.
Interface with internal and external customers, delivering clear presentations and status updates.
Provide troubleshooting support for field failures, leveraging deep knowledge of both hardware and software interfaces within the system and subsystem components.
Offer technical assistance to Northrop and USAF technicians and collaborate with suppliers to resolve hardware issues.
**This position may be filled at either Principal or Sr. Principal Level.
Principal Electronics Engineer Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience with:
Exposure to airborne RADAR and Electronic Warfare (EW)
Familiarity in C++, Python or MATLAB development and/or debugging
Familiarity with National Instruments (NI/Emerson) LabWindows/CVI or LabVIEW.
Understanding of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms implemented on FPGAs.
Familiarity with PathWave RF Synthesis (Genesys)
U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a
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