Sr. Principal EO/IR Systems Engineer

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

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available 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. Please note that this opportunity is contingent on program funding. Start dates are determined after funding confirmation. Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a Sr. Principal EO/IR Systems Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals in defining the future. This position will be located in Melbourne, FL. The selected engineer will perform as a member of an interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientists on a key effort to develop novel and innovative solutions to advanced technical problems. The successful engineer will contribute to the overall development of electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) systems, including developing, integrating, and applying system performance models, constructing, and testing demonstration systems, creating/refining/implementing system concepts and models, implementing test procedures, and verifying/validating system performance. You will design, develop, build, and test electro-optical systems in conjunction with key suppliers. Responsibilities include: Design and develop electro-optical systems architectures, perform hardware/software integration and testing, certification and requirements analysis Interpret, allocate, tailor, write and flow down requirements to all levels of a system architecture Trade studies, documenting architectures, analyzing performance, and evaluating Technology Readiness Level (TRL) with regard to supplier current and future products offerings Perform MBSE and capturing requirements, interfaces, behaviors, structures and parametrics Collaborate with engineers and program stakeholders to integrate mission planning solutions to meet platform mission objectives Developing and maintaining supplier documentation, performance based specifications, and statements of work Building supplier evaluation criteria and experience in conducting technical evaluations, documenting results and selection Technical management of program strategic partners and suppliers, including development, acquisition, acceptance, qualification, system integration and test support Review documents from the supplier’s development effort and support supplier technical interchange meetings and design reviews Identifying/planning/executing informal and formal testing of subsystem requirements in lab, troubleshooting hardware in the lab Performing aircraft ground and flight test on subsystems to validate and verify subsystem requirement and sell-off Leading technical discussions with the customer and having daily interaction with management, external personnel, customers, and various sub teams A successful EOIR Engineer has good leadership skills and understands the scope of the work and the impact of the work on other teams, consistently brings up concerns, issues and risks to program and technical leadership and holds the team to a high level of technical rigor. Basic Qualifications: Sr. Principal EO/IR Systems Engineer (T04): Must have a Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university AND 8 years of related professional/military experience in Engineering; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline from an accredited university AND 6 years of related professional/military experience in Engineering; or a Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience in Engineering. Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance, and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company. Knowledge of EO/IR phenomenology Experience in decomposing, deriving, allocating and tracing requirements from system to component level Demonstrated strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work well in a close team environment Experience engaging directly with internal and external technical and programmatic representatives Preferred Qualifications: Demonstrated problem solving and troubleshooting skills Demonstrated ability to assimilate new concepts quickly and independently and work in a self-directed manner Experience in EO/IR system and atmospheric modeling Experience with working on a multidisciplinary team and writing technical proposals Experience in model based systems engineering using Cameo or similar SysML tools Familiarity with Atlassian collaboration tool set (Jira and Confluence) Experience with scheduling engineering activities Experience with Agile development Experience in supplier/subcontract management Experience with developing supplier documentation, performance-based specifications, and statements of work Experience building supplier evaluation criteria and experience in conducting technical evaluations, documenting results and selection Ability to review documents from the supplier’s development effort and support supplier technical interchange meetings and design review Experience in lab testing, hardware/software verification, and concept development AS-FA3 Primary Level Salary Range: $118,600.00 - $178,000.00 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Palm Bay , Sr. Principal EO/IR Systems Engineer, Engineering , Melbourne, Florida