Sr. Staff Engineer Rocket Motor Assembly & Integration

Senior Rocket Motor Assembly & Integration Subject Matter Expert (Sr. SME) – Sr. Staff Engineer – Level 6

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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman's Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As a Senior Rocket Motor Assembly & Integration Subject Matter Expert (Sr. SME) – Sr. Staff Engineer – Level 6 located in Promontory, UT, you'll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one.

The preferred location for this role is Promontory, UT. May consider one of the following major Space sector locations:
Promontory, UT or Magna, UT.

This role reports functionally to the D&A Director and directly to the Metal Structures & Integration Sr. Manager. The Sr. SME provides technical leadership, consulting, and integration oversight for the Design & Analysis (D&A) Department.

This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Lead D&A Preliminary Design Review Board and ensure robust, vetted designs.
• Conduct PEER reviews of components, motors, and vehicles as the Integration SME.
• Mentor and coordinate Integration SMEs across components to guarantee proper hand offs, validation, and certification.
• Lead igniter design and performance analysis for all programs.
• Develop and enforce D&A operating standards, including command media, checklists, and training.
• Lead the homeroom team responsible for igniter design, integration, and rocket motor assembly
• Support mechanical and integration design for Commercial, Strategic, NASA, and IR&D projects.
• Author test requirements, plans, reports, and perform tolerance and trade off analyses.
• Draft requirement specifications and verification reports.
• Lead hardware design, configuration drawing, and model release for three new programs from concept through production, presenting at all milestone reviews.
• Lead failure evaluation efforts on three products/processes, documenting findings and implementing corrective actions.
• Lead static test motor or component testing on three occasions, producing test plans, supporting the test, conducting post fire assessments, and authoring test reports.
• Produce at least five Design Analysis Reports (DARs), structural and tolerance analyses, trade studies, and verification documentation; create interface artifacts (IICDs, ICDs, N² matrices) for five programs.
• Establish and disseminate five new command media topics that capture best practices and lessons learned for hardware design and analysis.
• Other duties as assigned

Why you? You're the candidate we're searching for if you are ready to achieve the impossible alongside like-minded innovators.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering with 14 years of professional experience – OR – Master's degree with 12 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 10 years of professional experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance
• Strong understanding of solid rocket motor design, manufacture, and test.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (MS, ME) is preferred.
• Proficiency with Siemens NX modeling.
• Strong background in integration design, and structural analysis.
• Experience designing mechanical brackets and leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of ballistics, grain design analysis, loads, and environmental analysis.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and GD&T tolerance analysis.
• Excellent written/oral communication, time management, and organizational abilities.

Primary Level Salary Range: $ - $

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