Everything You Need to Know About Engineering Jobs at Northrop Grumman

Lawren Henderson
Staff Writer at Cluster

Cluster is the first marketplace for hardware companies to hire full-time engineers. Hire talent with expertise honed at top companies in climate tech, aerospace, automotive, robotics and more.

There are a wide range of jobs at Northrop Grumman that are well-suited for engineers looking to offer their talents to one of the world’s preeminent aerospace and defense enterprises. Northrop Grumman traces its lineage to the dawn of advanced military aircraft. Over the years, the company has been at the forefront in developing some of the most sophisticated weapons and aeronautical technologies known to man. If you’re interested in a career at one of the Pentagon’s favorite defense contractors, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re providing company background information, position details, salaries, and high-level information about getting a job at Northrop Grumman.

The Evolution of Northrop Grumman

The history of Northrop began in 1939 when John K. “Jack” Northrop, a skilled and innovative designer, formed Northrop Aircraft Incorporated in Hawthorne, California. The following year, the company built its first aircraft, the N-3PB patrol bomber. In the decades to come, Northrop would deliver more and more advanced military aircraft to the US Defense Department and America’s allies around the world. In 1994, the Northrop Corporation acquired Grumman Corporation, a premier military aircraft systems integrator and builder of the Lunar Module that landed American astronauts on the moon.

Today’s Northrop Grumman represents the successful consolidation of more than 20 marquee companies combined into a global security enterprise. Northrop Grumman is most recognized as the manufacturer of the world’s first stealth bomber, the B-2, which it unveiled in 1988. Currently, the company is developing the B-21 Raider – a very long-range, stealth strategic bomber capable of extremely high-altitude flight as well as precise conventional and thermonuclear payload delivery. Spread out over four divisions – Aerospace Systems, Mission Systems, Technology Services, and Innovation Systems. – Northrop Grumman is a leader in everything from missile defense systems and cyber security solutions to space technologies including launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and satellites.  

Northrop Grumman is headquartered in Falls Church, VA, but maintains a large presence in Southern California with sites in Palmdale, El Segundo, Goleta, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and San Diego. The company’s yearly revenue exceeds $30 billion, and it ranked #118 on the 2018 Fortune 500 list. Its Chairman and CEO is Kathy Warden who leads 85,000 employees spread across all 50 states and 21 countries.

If you’re an engineer interested in working on next-level, possibly even top secret projects then keep scrolling. We’ve put together a collection of openings in California and average salaries (current as of April 2020) to give you an idea of what’s it like to work at this legendary organization.

Northrop Grumman Jobs

Northrop Grumman offers opportunities across an array of disciplines including aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering and more. Sample positions include:

Principal Electrical Engineer

As an electrical engineer for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, you’ll be responsible for space vehicle, spacecraft, and/or payload electrical integration. Tasks include electrical systems requirements development & analysis, as well as system and unit-to-unit electrical block diagram generation.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering and/or technical degree in STEM with 5 years of relevant work experience. You'll also need detailed knowledge of circuit simulation software such as PSPICE, and/or database management software such as Microsoft Access or ORACLE.

According to PayScale, the average Electrical Engineer salary at Northrop Grumman is $79,028 with a range of $65K to $117K.  

Mechanical Engineer

As a mechanical engineer for Northrop Grumman Space Systems (NGSS) - Space Component Division, you’ll be creating, prototyping, designing, and analyzing structures and mechanisms for solar arrays, booms, and other support structures for satellite subsystems.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s in a STEM area (Degrees in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering highly preferred) and 5+ years of experience. You must exhibit proficiency with mechanical computer-aided design (CAD) software, and preferably possess design and analysis experience with PTC Creo Parametric.

According to PayScale, the average Mechanical Engineer salary at Northrop Grumman is $76,484 with a range of $68K to $97K.

Sr. Air-Breathing Propulsion Engineer

As a Senior Air-Breathing Propulsion Engineer at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, you’ll design, develop, analyze and test internal flow-paths for supersonic and hypersonic air-vehicles. In this role, you’ll also be responsible for generating performance specifications and Supplier Statements of Work (SSOW); as well as interfacing with suppliers and support cross IPT integration with air vehicle and survivability.

Requirements include a Bachelor's in a STEM discipline with 9 years of engineering experience or Master’s and 7 years of experience or PhD. with 4 years of experience.

According to PayScale, the average Experienced Aerospace Engineer salary at Northrop Grumman is $126,006 with a range of $88K to $168K.

Principal Systems Engineer

As a Principal System Engineer in the Integrated Avionics Products team at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS), you’ll analyze and integrate new technologies into customer war fighters that fly and maintain the configurations of Helicopters.

Requirements include a Bachelor’s in STEM discipline with 5 years of relevant work experience or Master’s Degree with 3 years of experience. You must have experience developing system models using modeling methodologies. You’ll also need to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance or higher.

According to PayScale, the average Experienced Principal Systems Engineer Salary at Northrop Grumman is $125,838 with a range of $99K to $163K.

Advance Your Career

With multiple business sectors and operations spanning the globe, Northrop Grumman has job opportunities for every skill level. Advancing a career in aerospace can be challenging, but Cluster can help.

Our recruiters match qualified engineers with leading heritage aerospace companies, emerging startups, and organizations of all sizes in between. We also connect talent to training programs so you can develop the skills necessary to take your career to the next level. Register for your (always) free Cluster account, and one of our recruiters will contact you within a business day. You bring the talent, we’ll bring the jobs and training.

Download the materials

Please enter a work email address
*Please enter a valid work email address
Check your inbox
We have sent you an email with
a link to your download.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
www.clusterinc.com/articles/how-to-get-a-job-at-northrop-grumman
Published on
April 17, 2020