Staff Propulsion Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Compton
Posted on: March 23, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE TYPE: SAPTRAVEL: 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 Sr Principal Engineer Air Breathing Propulsion to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located in Redondo Beach, CA . As an engineer supporting the Air Breathing Propulsion section, the selected candidate will support the design and analysis needs of unclassified and classified programs in Redondo Beach, California . Candidate will interface with customers to define study areas and report status on current programs and technology development efforts. Candidate may interface with their management and technical teams to define business relationships and technology initiatives for both IRAD (Internal Research and Development) and CRAD (Contractual Research and Development) efforts. This position will support a variety of programs performing analysis and integration activities. Essential Functions: Lead engine performance and cycle analysis and provide guidance to programs Lead subsonic and supersonic inlet and exhaust design and integration Perform project planning to determine program requirements and develop plans for program execution Interface with external engine suppliers and manage external engine supplier activities Interface with internal and external customers, assisting in defining system requirements, defining study areas, and providing status on current programs and technology Develop and present materials for internal and external program related briefings Support new business generation and prepare proposal material Strong verbal and communication skills to interact with key cross-discipline stakeholders to achieve program objectives in a timely manner Technical and ICD writing Task planning, conducting technical peer reviews, and mentoring junior engineers Apply and contribute to the development of advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts. Work on complex technical problems and provide solutions which are highly innovative Collaborate and execute on long-range goals and objectives. Develop advanced technological ideas and guide development into a final product. Basic Qualifications for a Sr Principal Engineer: Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 12 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in STEM with 10 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in STEM with 8 years of related engineering experience. Air Breathing Propulsion knowledge and experience on aircraft (subsonic, supersonic or hypersonic) or missile systems. Ability and willingness to travel 25% of the time. Must have an active DoD Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Education). Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance. Preferred Qualifications: Ten plus (10) years of experience with Aeronautical Air Breathing Propulsion and Flight Sciences engineering disciplines. Experience with survivable propulsion systems Experience in technical leadership and guidance of junior Air Breathing Propulsion engineers. Experience in Air Breathing Propulsion processes and products throughout the program life cycle. Experience in hypersonic design and analysis Demonstrated ability to lead an engineering cross-functional team. Experience with Agile design teams and tools(Atlassian) Understanding of Systems Engineering Principles and Model Based Systems Engineering tools (MBSE) with a practical focus for relevant use cases in propulsion integration. Experience with PLM software (Teamcenter) Serve as organization spokesperson on advanced projects and/or programs. Act as advisor to management and customers on advanced technical research studies and applications. A current active in-scope U.S. Government DoD Top Secret clearance with current or previous Special Program Access (SAP/PAR). Primary Level Salary Range: $171,000.00 - $256,400.00The 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Long Beach , Staff Propulsion Engineer, Engineering , Compton, California