Principal Aeronautical Engineer Level 3 (AHT)
Northrop Grumman
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Los Angeles, CA · Posted October 19, 2026
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About the job
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
TRAVEL: 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.
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 Defense Systems is seeking an experienced Principal Aeronautical Engineer Level 3 . This position will be located at our Advanced Weapons Business Unit in Woodland Hills, CA . This role is onsite and follows a 9/80 schedule. Hybrid and remote work are not allowed . A Government issued Secret clearance is required to start .
We are excited for you to join our team of qualified and diverse individuals. Our domain provides rewarding work that contributes to the latest advancements being made in the missile defense industry.
Job Responsibilities:
Design of primary and secondary missile structures, parts and assemblies, including 3D CAD modeling; 2D drawing preparation, review, revision, and release; selection of components and materials; conduct and support trade studies.
Employ GD&T and Model Based Engineering (MBE) methods in support of Digital Transformation
Communicate with suppliers and customers to exchange technical information.
Coordinate with supply chain regarding design changes, cost reductions, process improvements, and changing suppliers
Coordinate with manufacturing regarding design and process improvements, and fixture requirements
Collaborate with other functional areas on various aspects of product design/documentation, including procurement, production, logistics and configuration management
Hands-on troubleshooting, inspection, and assembly of parts/subsystems in support of prototyping, production and test
Perform tolerance stack up analysis and author reports documenting them
Collaborate with analysis teams who are responsible for generating mass properties, structural, thermal and materials/processes reports
Create and deliver engineering briefings or reports to support design review activities
Track & report task status
Assist team to develop/document best practices and mentor less experienced engineers
Create and maintain design history files and track design defects, assign priority/severity, ensure design owner assigned, and report on status.
Resolve NCs and guide team members on NC resolution
Basic Qualifications are:
Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in a relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR Master of Science (MS) degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.
Experience resolving NCs, creating drawings in accordance with ANSI Y14.5 (GD&T) standards and generating tolerance stack up analysis
Experience with the packaging of electronic assemblies
Experience creating 3D parametric models using any industry-standard 3D CAD package such as Creo
Experience using any industry-standard Product Lifecycle Management systems such as TeamCenter
Experience with design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA)
Experience with the design and installation of primary and secondary air vehicle parts/components and assemblies
Knowledge of environmental testing and hardware performance validation, including structural and thermal analysis
Experience with designing for EMI sensitive environments
Active Government Secret Clearance / and ability to acquire a Special Access Program (SAP)
Preferred Qualifications are:
Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering
Proficient in Creo (modeling and drawing)
Proficient in Teamcenter (PDM)
Experience working in or providing engineering support to manufacturing and test/evaluation, particularly for DoD projects
Experience working in a Scrum, Agile, or Kanban product-development environment
Experience designing for MIL-STD-810 testing requirements
Experience creating and documenting design for cost (DFC) trade studies
Living in Woodland Hills offers a perfect combination of urban living with the beauty of nature. It is a short drive away from downtown Los Angeles, the Hollywood Hills, or the rest of the San Fernando Valley.
Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
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.
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
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.