Physicist Level 4

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
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.

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Physicist - Level 4 to join our team in Chandler, AZ.

In this role, you will;

Serve as a test and project engineering lead for rain erosion and lightning direct effects on aerospace materials and structures, working closely with senior survivability leadership to ensure test efforts are aligned with vehicle-level hardening strategies.

The successful candidate will: (1) design, plan, and execute material response tests at internal and external facilities; (2) synthesize test results into clear technical conclusions; and (3) translate those conclusions into survivability assessments and material/design recommendations. Strong materials science fundamentals and experience with extreme military launch vehicle flight environments are essential to understanding and explaining test outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate materials for use in extreme aerospace environments including lightning, flight heating, and supersonic/hypersonic rain.
• Design, plan, execute, and report on rain erosion and lightning direct effects tests.
• Interface with external test facilities and suppliers to define scope, develop/review procedures, witness tests as needed, and resolve
• Independently synthesize test results into clear technical conclusions and communicate those conclusions to non-specialist stakeholders (program leadership, systems engineering, suppliers).
• Lead a team consisting of both junior engineers/scientists and senior/Fellow-level contributors, maintaining focus on objectives while encouraging technical input.
• Guard against scope creep, keep complex efforts on task, and ensure that tests/analyses align with program schedules and priorities.
• Produce clear, consistent documentation that can be understood and built upon by others years later.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of professional experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or related technical fields.
• Must have an active US Government Secret security clearance
• Demonstrated experience working hands-on with test campaigns (planning, sample fabrication, execution, data review, reporting), not just analysis or paper studies.
• Strong project engineering skills with multiple demonstrated examples of driving technical projects to completion. Ability to build rapport/confidence with leadership, peers, and support staff to get the job done.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain technical rigor under aggressive schedule pressure.
• Highly structured, focused, and methodical thinker with strong organizational skills.
• Background in materials science, especially structural/thermal aerospace materials.
• Basic understanding of how materials respond to military launch vehicle flight environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to work collaboratively in team environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in physics, electrical engineering, materials science, or mechanical engineering.
• Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-310, MIL-STD-464, SAE-ARP-5412/5414, NASA-STD-4003, and RTCA DO-160. Experience interpreting industry standards to develop test levels.
• Experience planning and executing subsonic and supersonic rain erosion material response tests (e.g. SuRE, HHSTT), especially in the areas of material selection, specimen design, test matrix development, and post-test damage assessment.
• Experience planning and executing direct effects lightning material response tests, both arc entry and conducted current, with deep knowledge in grounding, fixturing, pre-test damage predictions, and post-test damage analysis/classification.
• Experience performing rain erosion and/or lightning detonation impulse modeling, especially hydrocode and/or G-law modeling. Ability to critically compare model predictions with test observations and adjust assumptions accordingly.
• Experience with high heat flux material response testing at both low and high shear (e.g. LHMEL, AEDC).
• Experience with dynamic material response characterization testing (gas gun and/or electron beam), especially in the areas of specimen design, instrumentation, and data interpretation.
• Experience with particle and fiber-reinforced matrix materials, refractory metals and ceramic coatings. Ability to relate microstructure and other fundamentals to macroscopic response to extreme flight environments.
• Working knowledge of shock physics, especially in the areas of shock Hugoniot and/or stress wave propagation in shocked materials.

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards

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Primary Level Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00
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.