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Principal/Sr. Principal RF Engineer

Northrop Grumman
ILRM03, United States, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 6 Mar 2026
💰 $203,600/yr($108,800/yr$203,600/yr)

About the role

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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security.  Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with 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! 

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems develops Operational Electronic Warfare (EW) and targeting systems that provide situational awareness, self-protection, and offensive electronic attack capability to platforms across the spectrum from visible light IR to millimeter wave RF.

By joining us, you’ll work on projects that help safeguard our nation related to land forces, rotary wing survivability systems, international and U.S. military electronic warfare systems, communications systems, missile warning systems (MWS), and sensors, infrared countermeasure systems (IRCM), automatic test equipment, modeling and simulation, and situational awareness programs. The Hardware Engineering organization plays a key role in developing these solutions.

The Principal RF/Sr. Principal RF role involves full life-cycle product development from system concept and requirements through design, production, verification, and field support while working in integrated product teams spanning Engineering, Manufacturing, and Program Management. RF/Analog subsystem and circuit card designs utilize the latest MMIC and discrete device technologies from all major vendors including internal Northrop Grumman designed devices, Electro-Optical (EO) circuitry, controls, detectors and data converters. As an RF/Analog Electrical Engineer, you will join our diverse team and be responsible for research, design, development of signal conversion and analog/mixed signal products. Your expertise in RF, mixed signal, and/or Electro-Optical component design and analysis, modeling and simulation, and circuit level design and test are desired for this position.

This position will be full-time and on-site at our Rolling Meadows, IL. Location

This position can be filled at either the Principal or Sr. Principal level:

Basic Qualifications for Principal RF Engineer:

- Bachelors’ degree in STEM field with a minimum 5+ years of electronics design experience or MS degree in STEM field with 3+ years of electronics design experience.

· RF/Analog circuit design experience, including schematic capture through test and integration

· Hands-on prototyping and debug experience testing complex RF subsystems, such as complex circuit card development involving amplifiers, mixers, control systems, ADCs, DACs, and/or phase lock loops

· Demonstrated ability to translate system performance and operational specifications into hardware requirements, design, and test specifications

· Familiarity with documentation, revision control and review systems like DOORS, ClearCase, and ClearQuest

· US Citizenship

· Must have Interim Secret clearance prior to starting and once started, must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal RF Engineer:

· Bachelors’ degree in STEM field with a minimum 8 years of electronics design experience or MS degree in STEM field with 6 years of electronics design experience.

· RF/Analog circuit design experience, including schematic capture through test and integration

· Hands-on prototyping and debug experience testing complex RF subsystems, such as complex circuit card development involving amplifiers, mixers, control systems, ADCs, DAC

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Company

Northrop Grumman

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