Northrop Grumman is currently seeking a Principal Propulsion Engineer or Sr. Principal Propulsion Engineer to join our team at our Elkton, Maryland location to support the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit.
Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid-propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton PS&C facility designs, develops, and produces solid-propellant propulsion, ordnance and motion controls systems in programs professionally managed for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Elkton, Maryland is located on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Discover charming small towns, parks with miles of trails, specialty and antique shops, award winning restaurants, and inns. You can hike, bike, camp, bird watch, ride horseback, or drop a fishing line. Five rivers, Chesapeake Bay and the C&D Canal can be explored by boat or by land. Experience panoramic views from Turkey Point Lighthouse on a bluff overlooking the Bay, or from the banks of the C&D Canal where ships from around the globe cruise. https://www.ccgov.org/government/tourism
This project engineering position will perform project engineering and project management for our motion controls team. This team designs and develops challenging motion controls systems (nozzle vectoring, flight surface actuation, cold and hot gas valve control, and other critical motion control systems for a variety of space and defense applications. The project engineer is responsible for coordinating both project and engineering activities along with technical input with our mechanical, electrical, software and systems engineers to ensure on-budget, on-time delivery for our customers.
Job Responsibilities
Develop project scope, objectives, and deliverables in collaboration with project team
Manage project schedules, resources and budgets to ensure an on target program
Monitor progress against the plan, tracking milestones, timelines, and costs
Manage changes to scope, schedule, and budget through a formal change‑control process
Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks; maintain a risk register and contingency plans
Communicate status, issues, and decisions to stakeholders via reports, meetings, and dashboards
Ensure quality standards are met by implementing appropriate review and testing processes
Document results of design activities and release results after review from other engineers
Make recommendations for process and program work to enhance delivery
Support test program under project team direction for design, fabrication, integration, and verification
Support generation and execution of presentation materials for various reviews required throughout the design process
Work with procurement to ensure hardware and expendables are delivered to enable project execution
Level to be hired is dependent upon demonstrated experience, education, and competency.
Basic Qualifications for Principal Engineer (level 3):
Requires Bachelors in Engineering & 5 years of experience or Master’s Degree in Engineering & 3 years of experience or a PhD & one year of experience
Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance which requires US Citizenship as a pre-requisite
Ability and willingness to travel
Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Engineer (level 4):
Requires Bachelors in Engineering & 8 years of experience or Master’s Degree in Engineering & 6 years of experience or a PhD & 4 years of experience
Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance which requires US Citizenship as a pre-requisite
Ability and willingness to travel
Preferred Qualifications both levels:
Ability to lead a multi-disciplinary team through various efforts required to plan, design, fabricate and install multiple subsystems
Experience with complex electro-mechanical systems
Current active Security Clearance
Proficiency with Siemens NX
Proficiency with Siemens Teamcenter United Architecture
Knowledgeable in systems engineering approach to ensure program requirements are met
Experience as a Cost Account Manager (CAM) maintaining budgetary and schedule compliance, while ensuring technical quality
Familiar with proactive risk management techniques, such as risk registers and failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA)