Sr. Principal Optical Integrated Dewar Cryo Assembly; IDCA Engineer

Sr. Principal Optical Engineer

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 Space Systems is seeking a Sr. Principal Optical Engineer to serve as the seeker Integrated Dewar Cryo Assembly (IDCA) Responsible Engineer (RE) supporting the Launch Vehicles business unit in Chandler, Arizona.

You will act as the responsible engineer (RE) for the IDCA, its associated close proximity electronics (CPE), and interfaces to the system avionics. In this role, you will provide technical oversight, act as the primary vendor interface, and oversee assembly‑level integration and testing, including how the hardware interfaces at the system level across multiple programs. The ideal candidate will combine deep expertise in electro‑optical/infrared (EO/IR) or cryogenic detector systems with strong leadership and organizational skills to drive cross‑functional collaboration and support critical program milestones.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the IDCA RE for the seeker subsystem, owning requirements, design, integration, and verification for the IDCA, CPE, and associated interfaces.
• Define and manage requirements for IDCA performance, thermal and mechanical environments, electrical interfaces, reliability, and maintainability, ensuring traceability to system level requirements.
• Own and maintain interface control with system avionics, including command, telemetry, power, timing, and data interfaces; lead resolution of interface discrepancies and changes.
• Coordinate with internal systems, guidance navigation and control (GNC), avionics, firmware/software, mechanical, materials, and manufacturing teams to ensure coherent system level integration and design closure.
• Work with suppliers and vendors to develop, procure, and qualify IDCA and CPE hardware; provide detailed technical feedback on designs, analyses, and manufacturing processes.
• Develop and oversee environmental and functional test campaigns for the IDCA and CPE, including thermal‑vacuum, vibration, shock, electrical stress, and performance characterization testing.
• Support system level performance by aiding the sensor model team in validating the IDCA/CPE model performance with measured data.
• Generate and maintain technical documentation including requirements specifications, interface control documents (ICDs), design descriptions, test plans and procedures, and verification reports.
• Manage technical risk associated with IDCA and CPE development, driving mitigation plans for performance, schedule, and producibility risks in collaboration with program management.
• Ensure that all IDCA and CPE vendor development adheres to the program requirements and follows established department command media.
• Provide technical briefings to internal and external stakeholders, including participation in design, integration, and readiness reviews at the assembly and system levels.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of related experience; or Master's degree in a related discipline and 6 years of related experience; or PhD in a related discipline and 4 years of related experience.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Government - Secret security clearance.
• Understanding of photon detection principles and behavior of materials like Indium Antimonide (InSb) and Type II Superlattice (T2SL)
• Understanding of…