Space Vehicle Systems Engineer

Location: United States-Arizona-Gilbert

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top 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’s Space Systems Sector is seeking a Space Vehicle Systems Engineer to join our team in Gilbert, Arizona.

 

Successful candidates for this position will play a key role as Space Vehicle Systems Engineers on a national security space program. This role blends classic systems engineering with on‑the‑floor support to integration, build, and test—putting you directly at the heart of assembling and bringing our spacecraft to life.

 

You will be part of a cross‑disciplinary team that takes space vehicles from early concept through launch and on‑orbit operations. You don’t just hand off a design—you help guide it from concept through countdown and into orbit, contributing to fully mission‑capable space vehicles for our customers.

 

This Systems Engineer role is an individual‑contributor position on a multi‑disciplinary team. You will work on design, development, integration, and testing of space payloads, spacecraft buses, and complete mission space vehicles. If you’re excited to see your work on the factory floor and ultimately on orbit, we invite you to join our team and help push the boundaries of what is possible.

 

Job Responsibilities

• Provide on‑floor support to the integration, testing, and operational readiness of spacecraft and payloads
• Develop and manage system and subsystem requirements, allocations, and verification/validation plans
• Contribute to interface definition and write interface control documents, technical specifications and engineering reports
• Coordinate with program, functional, and subsystem leads to resolve technical issues

• Assist with trade studies, design and sensitivity analyses, system performance assessments, mission timelines, and CONOPS development
• Prepare review and briefing material for working groups, technical reviews, and program status meetings
• Support tasks such as electrical harness interface design, integration and test procedure development, mechanical systems support, command and telemetry database updates, and space vehicle configuration modeling
• Learn to synthesize key concepts from technical data (ground and space hardware) and communicate them clearly to peers and stakeholders

 

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) discipline with 2+ years of engineering experience, or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline
• Demonstrated problem‑solving skills and an aptitude for understanding how systems and subsystems interact
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Prior engineering experience, preferably on space, aerospace, or related hardware/software programs
• Basic understanding of systems engineering concepts (requirements, interfaces, verification/validation)
• Ability and willingness to obtain a U.S. Government Top Secret clearance

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in space systems, spacecraft design, or mission operations
• Exposure to requirements development and allocation, or system architecture/CONOPS work
• Familiarity with spacecraft or space system integration and test, launch, and/or mission operations
• Experience with one or more tools such as MATLAB, DOORS, or CAMEO
• Background in one or more areas such as orbital mechanics, spacecraft attitude control, power systems, avionics/digital electronics, risk analysis, optics, communications, thermal design, or spacecraft/payload integration and testing
• Active or current U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance

 

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space.

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site: Northrop Grumman Total Rewards

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for:

-Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

-401k

-Educational Assistance

-Life Insurance

-Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

-Paid Time Off

-Health & Wellness Resources

-Employee Discounts

-Flexible Schedules: for example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work.

#SpaceSysEngJobs

#SpaceEngJobs

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Primary Level Salary Range: $79,300.00 - $118,900.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.