Northrop Grumman Logo

Northrop Grumman

Staff Engineer Systems

Posted 15 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
In-Office
Azusa, CA, USA
177K-266K Annually
Expert/Leader
In-Office
Azusa, CA, USA
177K-266K Annually
Expert/Leader
Develops and tests systems for OPIR space programs, focusing on line-of-sight calibration, guidance, navigation and control, image processing, and data exploitation algorithms. Responsibilities include payload and spacecraft integration, calibration, flight-readiness testing, on-orbit analysis, anomaly resolution, and applied mathematical modeling. The role requires extensive systems engineering experience, active Secret clearance, MATLAB knowledge, electro-optical hardware experience, and strong expertise in numerical methods and estimation techniques.
The summary above was generated by AI
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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.

*This position is contingent upon program award and the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company. Continued employment thereafter will be subject to maintenance of the level of clearance and program access required for the position in the future.

Northrop Grumman in Azusa, CA specializes in Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) space programs that deliver timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information to key decision makers. The programs enhance global missile launch detection capability, support the nation's missile defense system, expand the country’s technical intelligence gathering capacity and bolster situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.

Northrop Grumman in Azusa needs qualified system engineers with an emphasis in applied math to fill Line-of-Sight (LOS), guidance, navigation and control (GNC), image processing, data exploitation algorithms development, testing and tuning needs on OPIR programs. Strong mathematics background in numerical methods and statistics strong desired. Northrop Grumman has many payloads in different stages of their life including proposal and design, requirements and verification, ground testing and calibration, launch and on-orbit testing and calibration, and sustainment and anomaly resolution. Work may include payload design, payload and space vehicle integration and test, analyzing LOS calibration system performance for on-orbit payloads as well as in support of flight readiness test activities for payload and ground systems. Ideal candidate will have a technical understanding of LOS calibration techniques such as mechanical and optical misalignment compensation in a space environment, calibration errors associated with gyros, IMUs, and optical encoders, understanding of orbital mechanics and commonly used orbital reference frames and time systems; a working knowledge of Kalman filtering and least squares estimation techniques is strongly desired.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM field plus 12 or more years of relevant work experience, OR a Master’s degree in a STEM field with 10 years of experience, OR a PhD in a STEM field with 8 years of relevant experience

  • Active U.S. Government Secret Clearance or higher at time of application

  • Professional or coursework experience in the area of applied math

  • Experience with typical electro-optical pointing hardware such as encoders, resolvers, inertial measurement units, and motors.

  • Basic understanding of MATLAB

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active Top Secret Clearance with SCI

  • Experience with pointing and control flight software constructs such as onboard attitude propagation and calibration, motor control, and anomaly, diagnostic, and resolution applications.

  • Professional experience with applied mathematics for embedded systems and numerical error analysis.

  • Technical understanding in LOS calibration techniques and working knowledge of Kalman filtering and least squares estimation techniques.

  • Proficiency in MATLAB and object-oriented programming.

  • Understanding of payload operations in relation to OPIR.

  • Familiarity with commonly used tools in both MS Windows & Unix environments.


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.

#LosAngelesSpace

#LI-DB1

#SpaceEngJobs

#SpaceSysEngJobs

Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00

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.

Northrop Grumman Azusa, California, USA Office

Azusa, United States

Northrop Grumman Camarillo, California, USA Office

Camarillo, United States

Northrop Grumman Carson, California, USA Office

Carson, United States

Northrop Grumman El Segundo, California, USA Office

El Segundo, United States

Northrop Grumman Fullerton, California, USA Office

Fullerton, United States

Northrop Grumman Hawthorne, California, USA Office

Hawthorne, United States

Northrop Grumman Huntington Beach, California, USA Office

Huntington Beach, United States

Northrop Grumman Laguna Hills, California, USA Office

Laguna Hills, United States

Northrop Grumman Los Angeles, California, USA Office

Los Angeles, United States

Northrop Grumman Los Angeles, California, USA Office

Los Angeles, United States

Northrop Grumman Manhattan Beach, California, USA Office

Manhattan Beach, United States

Northrop Grumman Oxnard, California, USA Office

Oxnard, United States

Northrop Grumman Pico Rivera, California, USA Office

Pico Rivera, United States

Northrop Grumman Pomona, California, USA Office

Pomona, United States

Northrop Grumman Port Hueneme, California, USA Office

Port Hueneme, United States

Northrop Grumman Redondo Beach, California, USA Office

Redondo Beach, United States

Northrop Grumman Santa Monica, California, USA Office

Santa Monica, United States

Northrop Grumman Torrance, California, USA Office

Torrance, United States

Northrop Grumman West Whittier, California, USA Office

West Whittier, United States

Similar Jobs

9 Days Ago
In-Office or Remote
United States
144K-210K Annually
Senior level
144K-210K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software
Lead systems engineering for a next-generation unmanned aircraft system. Responsibilities include defining system architecture, behaviors, requirements, interfaces, fault responses, and traceability; integrating avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensors, and mission systems; conducting MBSE modeling, trade studies, safety analyses, flight testing, and performance validation; and coordinating cross-functional teams, DoD stakeholders, and government partners through development and operational deployment.
Top Skills: Ai-Driven Flight ControlAutonomy SystemsAvionicsCameoDoorsElectronic WarfareFaa Airworthiness StandardsGovernment Reference ArchitecturesIsrMbseMil-StdMosaSysmlUas
10 Days Ago
Easy Apply
In-Office
Long Beach, CA, USA
Easy Apply
150K-226K Annually
Senior level
150K-226K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Hardware • Robotics • Software • Manufacturing
Own materials and processes engineering for launch vehicle fluid systems. Qualify materials and processes for flight and reuse, develop engineering standards, lead experimental design and process improvement, and support material selection, manufacturing, failure analysis, inspections, and risk assessments. Collaborate with materials, laboratory, fluid systems, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, fracture control, and leadership teams to resolve technical risks and enable reliable, cost-effective production.
Top Skills: CastingExtrusionForgingGas Tungsten Arc WeldingHeat TreatmentMaterials ScienceNon-Destructive Evaluation (Nde)Orbital Tube WeldingPassivationPrecision CleaningStatistical Experimental DesignTube Bending
15 Days Ago
Hybrid
Senior level
Senior level
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • HR Tech • Information Technology • Productivity • Software • Automation
Build and operate reliable production systems for machine learning models, agentic workflows, and self-learning capabilities. Responsibilities include ML lifecycle automation, continuous delivery, safe deployments, feedback loops, observability, SLOs, distributed workload optimization, incident response, platform automation, and cloud infrastructure standards. The role provides staff-level technical leadership across ML, data, product, and platform engineering teams.
Top Skills: C++Ci/CdCloud InfrastructureContainersDistributed SystemsGoGpu ComputingInfrastructure As CodeJavaKubernetesMachine Learning OperationsObservabilityPythonRustSlis/Slos

What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene

Los Angeles is a global leader in entertainment, so it’s no surprise that many of the biggest players in streaming, digital media and game development call the city home. But the city boasts plenty of non-entertainment innovation as well, with tech companies spanning verticals like AI, fintech, e-commerce and biotech. With major universities like Caltech, UCLA, USC and the nearby UC Irvine, the city has a steady supply of top-flight tech and engineering talent — not counting the graduates flocking to Los Angeles from across the world to enjoy its beaches, culture and year-round temperate climate.

Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech

  • Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
  • Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
  • Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
  • Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
  • Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
  • Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account