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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal / Senior Principal Systems Engineer - **Company:** Northrop Grumman - **Location:** Los Angeles, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $114,000.0 - $171,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Systems Engineering, Network Interface Controllers, Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation, Inertial Navigation Systems, MATLAB, Software Tools, Software Requirements Analysis, Software Systems, Verification and Validation (Software), SC Clearance, Software Version Control - **Published:** October 5, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.clearancejobs.com/jobs/9113333/principal-senior-principal-systems-engineer ## About the Role * Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline + 5 years of related Systems Engineering experience; Master of Science in a STEM discipline + 3 years of related Systems Engineering experience; Ph.D. in a STEM discipline + 1 year of related Systems Engineering experience * Demonstrated systems-engineering experience, preferably in aerospace or defense. * Proficient with systems-engineering tools such as DOORS, CAMEO, MATLAB, or comparable software * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to interpret complex data and generate actionable insights. * Excellent written and verbal communication, capable of translating technical concepts for non-technical audiences. * Collaborative team player who actively contributes to cross-functional projects. * Meticulous attention to detail with a commitment to high-quality, reliable work. * Agile and adaptable, thriving in fast-changing, fast-paced environments. * U.S. Citizenship required. * A current/active U.S. Government Secret clearance is required. * Availability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, California., * Bachelor of Science in a STEM discipline + 8 years of related Systems Engineering experience; Master of Science in a STEM discipline + 6 years of related Systems Engineering experience; Ph.D. in a STEM discipline + 4 years of related Systems Engineering experience * Demonstrated systems-engineering experience, preferably in aerospace or defense. * Proficient with systems-engineering tools such as DOORS, CAMEO, MATLAB, or comparable software * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to interpret complex data and generate actionable insights. * Excellent written and verbal communication, capable of translating technical concepts for non-technical audiences. * Collaborative team player who actively contributes to cross-functional projects. * Meticulous attention to detail with a commitment to high-quality, reliable work. * Agile and adaptable, thriving in fast-changing, fast-paced environments. * U.S. Citizenship required. * A current/active U.S. Government Secret clearance is required. * Availability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, California Preferred Qualifications * Master's degree or PhD in a STEM field or in technical management. * Solid understanding of inertial navigation and related products. * Proven track record executing program milestones, including Systems Requirements Review (SRR), System Functional Review (SFR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR). ## Description The Engineering & Sciences organization at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a Principal or Senior Principal Systems Engineer to join our team based in Woodland Hills, CA. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in systems-engineering principles and extensive experience delivering technology programs through rigorous design review and verification sell-off campaigns. This role requires the ability to lead cross-functional teams, manage configuration baselines and ensure successful transition of hardware-software systems to production. What You'll Get to Do: * Be responsible for the technical baseline development by capturing, analyzing, and finalizing the functional and performance requirements baseline; maintain full traceability in DOORS and confirm verifiability ahead of the Critical Design Review (CDR). * Develop functional and physical system architectures, conduct trade-off studies, and select optimal solutions that advance system maturity toward production readiness. * Organize and lead internal design-review meetings; facilitate external CDR sessions with customers, suppliers, certification bodies and other partners, collecting feedback, documenting decisions and driving corrective actions to closure. * Collaborate with integration and test teams on schedules, maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and create comprehensive test verification matrices that cover hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) scenarios. * Lead verification execution, analyze test and analysis results, resolve discrepancies and close verification loops to satisfy CDR baseline requirements and subsequent system qualification. * Manage baseline configuration items, enforce version control and conduct impact analyses for changes throughout system verification and validation. * Author and maintain critical CDR artifacts - System Requirements Document, ICD, Design Description, Test Plans, Risk Register - and produce regular status reports and executive-level presentations on CDR and verification readiness, risks and mitigation strategies. * Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers; actively participate in cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with program objectives and promote knowledge sharing across mechanical, electrical and software disciplines. * Drive continuous improvement by identifying process inefficiencies, proposing updates to configuration-management practices and contributing to lessons-learned documentation for future programs. * This position may be filled as a Principal Systems Engineer or Senior Principal Systems Engineer.