Test Engineer / Principal Test Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 75% 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 Missions Systems is looking for you to join our team as a Principal Field Test Engineer based out of Sunnyvale, CA supporting our Launcher Systems/Propulsion and Power Generation (PPG) business unit. In this role at Northrop Grumman, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to be a part of our Enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of automation. The rotating machinery team within the Test Engineer group is seeking an innovative, self-driven Principal Field Test Engineer to join our dynamic, multifaceted team. As one of us, your mission will be to ensure that the devices we create here to turn steam into electricity and propulsion for our nation’s newest submarines and aircraft carriers meet the stringent standards our nation’s fleet requires. What You’ll get to Do: In this role, you will have the opportunity to complete a wide variety of challenges that span the gamut of effort required to accomplish system-level tests of our turbine-generators and gear-driven propulsion units—from integrating data-acquisition systems and programming automation routines to acquiring and analyzing data and writing procedures and reports. Along the way, you will learn all about the technologies that make our power-generation and propulsion systems unique, gaining valuable insight to ensure our tested products are assets our nation’s bravest service members can trust. One more thing: The role we perform requires 12.5-hr shifts to support 24/7 system-level test campaigns in our factory and may include night shift support 30-50% of the time. The workload may span two and three weeks continuously in some cases. A quarter of the year, the role involves field engineering testing support aboard ships at various customer sites around the US. Aboard ship, the workload is typically 12.5 hrs per day with a duration of between two and four weeks. Although the workload may sound intense, we do offer flexibility in taking paid time off and compensate for all additional hours worked on shift during testing campaigns. If this type of work plays to your strengths and goals, then we’d like to hear from you! Basic Qualifications for level 2: Microsoft office suite Bachelor's Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 2 years relevant work experience; or Master’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with no relevant experience. Experience using benchtop instrumentation (e.g. spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters). Ability to interpret basic circuit diagrams. Must be willing to work night shift. Must be willing to work at field sites up to 75% of the time. Must be a US citizen and be able to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance. Basic Qualifications for level 3: Microsoft office suite Bachelor’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 5 years relevant work experience; or Master’s Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) discipline with 3 years relevant work experience. Experience using benchtop instrumentation (e.g. spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters). Ability to interpret basic circuit diagrams. Must be willing to work night shift. Must be willing to work at field sites up to 75% of the time. Must be a US citizen and be able to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance Preferred Qualifications: Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering Industry experience related to testing and troubleshooting Experience troubleshooting analog or high-voltage circuitry Programming and/or automation experience (e. g. MATLAB) PLC programming experience (e.g. Allen Bradley) Experience testing magnetic bearings or other rotating machinery Acoustics, dynamics, or control-systems testing experience Experience using multi-channel data acquisition (DAQ) systems Experience testing large structures Systems-Engineering experience Navy experience Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00 Secondary 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.

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