Principal / Sr Principal RF Design Engineer
Northrop Grumman
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Rolling Meadows, IL · Posted October 9, 2026
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Where Rolling Meadows, IL ranks
Where Rolling Meadows, IL placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Midwest26% · of 54
- #1Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Great Lakes26% · of 39
- #2Best cities for remote-friendly jobs22% · of 100
- #6Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Midwest6% · of 52
- #6Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Great Lakes6% · of 38
- #6Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Midwest13% · of 69
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among engineers, all other is little observed so far. Measured exposure for engineers, all other: 7% (little observed).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret TRAVEL: No 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. This position will be located in Rolling Meadows, IL. The qualified applicant will become part of Northrop Grumman's Specialized Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (STEWS) team, where they will work on a variety of electronic equipment and systems that include airborne RF and IR systems, laboratory test stations, and transportable flight line electronic combat system test sets. Roles and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Design, develop, perform hardware/system integration and test, and support deployment of systems and system modifications · Troubleshoot hardware (systems and subassemblies) to determine root cause of failures and identify corrective actions · Support transitions from design to production · Maintain process and procedures in accordance with ISO standards · Provide technical support to Northrop depot and USAF technicians and work with suppliers to resolve technical hardware issues · Create engineering documentation (specifications, change notices, parts lists, bills of materials, test reports, test procedures) Interface with and present to internal and external customers Subsystem integration, test, and system integration Conducting Test Readiness Reviews (TRR) Perform in-depth analysis of hardware commanding down to the register level Opportunities Exist in the following areas: RF/Microwave system design Research, design, development, and simulation of Electronic Warfare systems, and defining and developing processing algorithms for real-time implementation Design, prototype and test digital subsystems, including circuit cards using FPGAs, embedded processors, and high-speed interfaces. *** This position may be filled at either Principal or Sr. Principal levels.*** · Basic Qualifications Principal Electronics Engineer: Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or similar engineering discipline with 5+ years of related experience · Excellent interpersonal, communication and organizational skills · Proficient in MS office · US Citizenship and the ability to obtain a Department of Defense (DoD) Secret Clearance · Proficient in MATLAB · Experience processing large amounts of data · Have an understanding of RF Performance Analysis Basic Qualifications Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer: · Must have a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related discipline with 8 years of experience in the areas described in the job description or Master's Degree with 6 years of experience or PhD with 3 years of experience · An additional 4 years of experience on lieu of degree. · Sr. Principal Engineers should have a demonstrated ability in technical and team leadership overseeing engineers with experience at least at the Principal level. · Strong knowledge using MATLAB · Strong knowledge of processing large amount of data · Strong understanding of Electronic Warfare, Radar, ECM, Telemetry or SIGINT · Be able to delegate, task and oversee the work of junior RF engineers Preferred Qualifications: · Experience with airborne RFEW systems · Experience in programming in C++, National Instruments LabWindows/CVI and/or LabVIEW · Understanding of digital signal processing algorithms in FPGAs · Hold an active DoD Secret or greater level of clearance · Experience troubleshooting RF subsystems · RF Performance Analysis · Requirements generation/flow down Primary Level Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $163,200.00 Secondary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00 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.