Sr. Staff Chief Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 50% 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.

Northrop Grumman Weapons Systems Division is seeking a Sr. Staff Chief Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. 

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a highly qualified candidate with outstanding technical and leadership skills to support the Tactical Propulsion Engineering Department at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Rocket Center, WV.  The qualified applicant will provide expert technical guidance, analysis, and solution development for customer projects involving advanced propulsion technologies. Leveraging deep domain knowledge, the engineer will support feasibility studies, performance assessments, certification support, and optimization of propulsion architectures.

This is a remote position supporting our facilities in Rocket Center, WV.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Consulting
  • Lead propulsion system analyses (thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, structural, and control) for customer programs.
  • Develop and validate performance models
  • Perform trade studies on advanced tactical propulsion systems concepts.
  • Serve as a voting member on design and testing engineering review boards.
  • Mentor and coach engineers to advance their technical and professional skills
• Project Delivery
  • Define work scopes, deliverables, and schedules; manage day-to-day execution to meet client milestones.
  • Produce technical reports, presentations, and design reviews that clearly communicate findings and recommendations.
  • Coordinate multidisciplinary teams to ensure integrated propulsion solutions.
• Customer Interaction
  • Serve as the primary technical liaison for customer engineering teams
  • Conduct workshops, webinars, and training sessions on propulsion best practices and emerging technologies
  • Translate customer needs into actionable engineering tasks and propose innovative concepts
• Business Development
  • Contribute to proposal writing, cost estimations, and technical scoping for new consulting engagements.
  • Identify opportunities for service expansion and present them to senior leadership.
  • Support internal research and development activities

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field and a minimum 20 years of hands-on propulsion engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced propulsion research or Master's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field and a minimum 18 years of hands-on propulsion engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced propulsion research.
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency with propulsion analysis software and tools
  • Strong Command of MATLAB/Simulink, Excel, or similar scripting tools for data analysis
  • Experience with propulsion system design standards (e.g., ASME, SAE, NASA, ICAO).
• Communication: Excellent communication skills; ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% of the time for customer site visits, testing, conferences, and onsite reviews.
• United States Secret Clearance for which US Citizenship is a prerequisite.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 25 years’ experience in tactical solid rocket motor propulsion design and development
• Direct experience with next‑generation propulsion technologies (Highly Loaded and Solid Fuel Ram Jets).
• Experience delivering consulting services in a matrixed, multi‑client environment.

Primary Level Salary Range: $166,500.00 - $249,700.00

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.