Senior Chief Systems Engineer

Relocation Assistance and Travel

Relocation assistance may be available. Clearance type:
Secret. Travel:
Yes, 10% of the time.

At Northrop Grumman the Advanced Mission Capabilities program family anticipates a near‑term need for a Senior Staff Chief Engineer at our Linthicum, MD location. The selected candidate will be responsible for technical execution and programmatic coordination on a restricted program, serving as the technical leader for the program engineering team, technical advisor to the program manager, and primary technical point‑of‑contact to the customer.

• Manage the technical development and direction for all aspects of engineering on the program, including design, development, implementation, testing, and delivery of product to a customer.
• Serve as the technical authority for the program, including serving as chair of the Technical Review Board.
• Provide direct guidance to internal and external team members regarding technical development.
• Serve as engineering team liaison for communications between Program Management, customers, and other functional organizations.
• Ensure integration of the overall technical plan within the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS).
• Ensure overall technical quality and performance for all engineering content for the program.
• Ensure the program adheres to sound engineering processes in development, production, test, and sustainment in accordance with company policies, processes, and quality standards.
• Drive process development, continuous improvement, and affordability initiatives within their associated programs.
• Collaborate and arbitrate engineering conflicts between Product Teams.
• Support the program manager in risk and opportunity management by identifying and owning risks associated with system performance.
• Lead the responses to proposal solicitations, including architecture definition, BOE generation, and written volume creation.
• As needed, articulate and execute proposal solicitations to potential subcontractors.
• Perform any program‑specific responsibilities allocated to the role by the engineering functional and program management.
• Coordinate between the System Architect, SEIT Lead, Product Team Lead(s), program manager, and customer to ensure the integrity and executability of the program technical baseline.

• Bachelor’s degree with 14 years of experience, master’s degree with 12 years of experience or Ph.D. with 10 years of experience in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical fields; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Current/active DoD Secret clearance.
• Ability to obtain Special Program Access (SAP).
• Experience leading technical teams.
• Experience with design, development, implementation, testing, and delivery of product to a customer within a program.
• Demonstrated technical leadership skills, decisiveness, and ability to make sound technical judgments with limited information.

• Advanced degree in STEM or technical management.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Interest and aptitude for customer engagements at technical and programmatic levels.
• Domain expertise in defense sensor systems.
• Understanding of DoD systems engineering requirements.
• Experience coordinating directly with customers and end users for requirements development and detailed design.
• Experience coordinating with external subcontractors and suppliers.
• Current Top Secret clearance, SAP access(es), and/or SCI access.

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment that encourages growth and supports success. Benefits include health plan, savings plan, paid time off, education assistance, training and development, 9/80 work schedule (where available), and more.

Primary level salary range: $ – $. Base pay is determined by scope, responsibilities, experience, education, skills, and market conditions. Employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, discretionary bonus, and long‑term incentives for certain positions.

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

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain restricted positions.