Staff Systems Engineer Configuration Lead

About this 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Staff Systems Engineer Configuration Lead to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals in our Systems Engineering organization. This role is located in Rancho Bernardo, CA or El Segundo, CA . This position will require up to 10% travel.

Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems – Research & Advanced Design (R&AD) transforms breakthrough ideas into mission-ready capabilities through intelligent anticipation. We’re the front-end design engine, defining what comes next. From developing cutting-edge next-generation future aircraft to trailblazing collaborative autonomous platforms, we push the boundaries of technology and forge industry-leading partnerships that set new standards for what’s possible.

Our team owns the full lifecycle of advanced concept creation, from visionary early-stage designs and rapid prototyping to high-impact demonstrations and solving the toughest technical challenges in survivability, autonomy, and battle management. We seek curious, adaptable people who thrive on turning intuition into breakthrough solutions. If you’re driven to invent the future, build what’s next, and shape the landscape of national security, this is where you belong.

In this role, you will have the ability to shape multiple efforts to bring systems engineering rigor, traceability, and architecture and design definition.

As the Configuration Lead, you will serve as the technical authority for a program effort, overseeing all key milestones such as the System Requirements Review, Preliminary Design Review, and Critical Design Review and making final engineering decisions. You'll drive the full requirements lifecycle—development, decomposition, verification, and use case analysis—while also managing system integration, configuration control, change integration, cybersecurity, EMI/EMC, and system safety.

Additionally, you'll coordinate test planning and execution for both hardware and software, supervise data collection activities, analyze results, and ensure that all technical deliverables meet performance, safety, and schedule targets. The lead also produces and presents the documentation, artifacts, and briefings required for program reviews and customer deliverables, and actively participates in technical exchange meetings with internal and external customers. Additionally, they manage anomaly resolution, adjudicate findings for current and future builds, and control the technical baseline through coordination of internal and external reviews.

Responsibilities: • Serve as the technical authority for system engineering milestones, including System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), and Critical Design Review (CDR). • Lead requirements development, decomposition and verification, use case development and analysis, system integration, configuration management, change integration, cybersecurity, EMI/EMC and System Safety. • Coordinating test planning, executing hardware and software verifications, managing data-collection efforts, analyzing results, and ensuring that technical deliverables meet performance, safety, and schedule objectives. • Write and deliver documentation, artifacts and presentations in support of program reviews and customer deliverables (CDRL). • Participate in technical exchange meetings, interfacing with customers (internal/external) and contributing to a broad range of program deliverables. • Lead technical anomaly resolution, including adjudication of findings to current and future builds, lead internal and external technical change/ review coordination, and manage the technical baseline of the program. • Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills, for both up-and-out communication to executive leadership and the customer, and for down-and-in detailed technical guidance to the program team

Basic Qualifications: • Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 12 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 10 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 8 years of relevant military / professional experience • Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation). • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs. • Must have experience executing Systems Engineering processes, including across the full Systems Engineering lifecycle: SRR, PDR, CDR, TIM/TEM, TRB, CCB • Must have experience briefing or leading technical discussions with outside stakeholders including other IPTs, customer representatives or supplier personnel

Preferred Qualifications • A current active or ability to obtain an US Government Top Secret clearance • Experience in technical leadership as IPT/sub-IPT lead or technical/thr

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