Mechanical Engineer​/Lvl – Motion Controls Project Engineering

Principal Project 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 is currently seeking a Principal Project Engineer or Sr. Principal Project Engineer to join our team at our Elkton, Maryland location in support of the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit.

The Northrop Grumman PS&C facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid-propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton site designs, develops, and produces solid-propellant propulsion, ordnance, and motion controls systems for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkomoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Elkton, Maryland is located on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The area offers small-town communities, parks with miles of trails, specialty and antique shops, award-winning restaurants, and inns. Outdoor activities include hiking, biking, camping, bird watching, horseback riding, and fishing. Five rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the C&D Canal can be explored by boat or by land, with scenic views from Turkey Point Lighthouse and along the C&D Canal.

More information is available at: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./tourism

This project engineering position will perform project engineering and project management for our Motion Controls team. The team designs and develops challenging motion control systems, including:

• Nozzle vectoring systems and controllers
• Flight surface actuation
• Cold and hot gas valve control
• Other critical motion control systems for a variety of space and defense applications

The project engineer is responsible for coordinating both project and engineering activities, and for providing technical input in partnership with our mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineers to ensure on-budget, on-time delivery for our customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop project scope, objectives, and deliverables for motion controls hardware in collaboration with the integrated project team.
• Plan and manage project schedules, resources, and budgets for assigned scope to ensure execution remains on target.
• Monitor progress against the plan, tracking milestones, timelines, costs, and technical risks; drive issue resolution and escalation as needed.
• Manage changes to scope, schedule, and budget through a formal change-control process, including preparation of change requests and supporting technical rationale.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks; maintain a risk register and contingency plans for assigned hardware and tasks.
• Communicate status, risks, and key decisions to stakeholders via reports, recurring meetings, and formal design/program reviews.
• Ensure quality standards are met by planning and implementing appropriate design reviews, peer reviews, and test/verification activities.
• Coordinate documentation and release of design and analysis results from the engineering team, ensuring configuration control and proper approvals.
• Make recommendations for process and program improvements to enhance schedule adherence, technical quality, and team efficiency.
• Support test planning and execution for design, fabrication, integration, and verification activities, working closely with test and manufacturing teams.
• Support generation and execution of presentation materials for internal and customer reviews throughout the design lifecycle.
• Work with procurement, suppliers, and materials management to ensure hardware and consumables are specified correctly and delivered to enable project execution.

Basic Qualifications – Principal Engineer (Level
3)

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering and 5+ years of relevant experience; OR
• Master's degree in Engineering and 3+ years of relevant experience; OR
• PhD in Engineering and 1+ year of relevant experience
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
• Ability and willingness to travel as required

Basic Qualifications – Sr. Principal Engineer (Level
4)

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering and 8+ years of relevant experience; OR
• Master's degree in Engineering and 6+ years of relevant experience; OR
• PhD in Engineering and 4+ years of relevant experience
• Ability to obtain a Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship…