Northrop Grumman
Principal / Senior Principal Flight Test Engineer (FTE) AV Lead
- Location
- Hollywood, MD
- Work type
- On-site
- Job type
- Full-time
- Salary
- $114K – $171K / yr
- Clearance
- Top Secret
- U.S. citizenship
- Not stated
- Posted
- Nov 12, 2026
About the role
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00
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.
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top 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.Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal / Senior Principal Flight Test Engineer (FTE) Air Vehicle Lead to join the team of qualified individuals on our Test and Evaluation team. This role is located onsite in Patuxent River, MD.
This is an individual contributor role and will not have direct reports.
**This role may be filled at the Principal OR Senior Principal levels based on the qualifications listed, below**
In this role, the successful candidate will primarily support the Flight Test Team based out of Patuxent River, MD. Candidate will provide support for all flight test activities, to include test planning, creation of required test procedures, post test data analysis, creation of problem reports, and reporting on test results. Candidate shall display professionalism, leadership, have a strong work ethic, work well with others, and be able to function as member of the Flight Test Team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assist in development, execution and peer review of test procedures
- Participate in both Formal and Non-Formal Test execution events
- Participate in test planning, problem report validation testing, and post testing data analysis
- Provide support in the creation of required test artifacts
- Lead potential moderate size test efforts and events in support of Flight Test leadership
- Attend and participate in all Flight Test meetings
- Experience working in high paced environments
We offer phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.
Basic Qualifications (Principal):
- Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 3 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 1 years of related professional/military experience.
- Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
- Must have experience generating technical documents and working with various software/data processing tools such as MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and other various programming languages
- Must have understanding of common Test Engineering test methodologies and practices
- Must be willing and able to support multiple shifts and odd hours to accommodate testing efforts and lab schedules.
Basic Qualifications (Senior Principal):
- Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience.
- Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Top Secret clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
- Must have experience generating technical documents and working with various software/data processing tools such as MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint, and other various programming languages
- Must have understanding of common Test Engineering test methodologies and practices
- Must be willing and able to support multiple shifts and odd hours to accommodate testing efforts and lab schedules.
Preferred Qualifications:
- NAVAIR experience
- Weapons Systems level and/or Flight Test experience
Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00
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.