Chief Engineer - Level 6

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman · Aerospace · Chandler, AZ +1 · Engineering Mult-Func

Chief Engineer (Level 6) for Northrop Grumman's Launch Vehicles business unit, supporting the Targets Operating Unit. This role provides technical leadership for design, integration, system test, and flight test activities for missile defense systems, ensuring mission success. Responsibilities include leading engineering teams, managing the technical baseline, chairing control boards, and representing the program in technical forums with customers and stakeholders. Requires an active Secret security clearance.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead the engineering team to achieve 100% mission success for assigned target systems.
  2. Provide oversight, technical direction, and guidance across a multi-discipline team including engineering, manufacturing, integration, and test.
  3. Own and manage the technical baseline; ensure design integrity across all life-cycle phases (design, build, integration, test, flight, and post-flight).
  4. Manage, control, and administer the successful performance of technical tasks in alignment with cost, schedule, and performance objectives.
  5. Identify, assess, and help resolve programmatic and technical issues that could impact cost, schedule, and system performance.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree with 14 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 12 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 10 years of professional experience
  • Minimum 7 years of directly related engineering leadership experience.
  • Active Secret security clearance.
  • U.S. Citizen.
  • Ability to travel 10–20% (including to launch/test sites and customer locations).
  • Demonstrated experience interfacing directly with internal and external customers.
  • Proven verbal and written communication skills with customers and all levels of management.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a multi-disciplined engineering team.
  • Thorough understanding of design standards, procurement processes, and configuration management practices.
  • Ability to work under limited supervision and successfully complete projects on time and within budget.
  • Multi-disciplinary engineering background and/or systems engineering experience.

Nice to have

  • Experience leading or participating in failure investigations, including root cause and corrective action (RCCA).
  • Missile system flight test experience (range operations, pre-flight readiness, telemetry/data review, or anomaly resolution).

What the JD emphasized

  • Active Secret security clearance