Principal​/Sr. Principal System Engineer

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available.

Travel up to 25% of the time may be required.

No clearance is required at the start of the role. The employee must have the ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret/SAP clearance within a reasonable time.

Northrop Grumman’s Aeronautics Systems sector is seeking a Systems Engineer for an onsite position in Oklahoma City, OK. The Principal/Sr. Principal Systems Engineer will develop and execute program requirements across the full lifecycle, ensuring design, production, integration, and test objectives are met.

• Analyze tooling/support equipment and recommend solutions for repair, rework, or alternative manufacturing methods.
• Assess, interpret, and recommend changes to engineering drawings.
• Generate complex engineering models and drawings.
• Create and review detailed 3‑D CAD (Solid Works, CATIA, NX) models, drawings, and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Develop design concepts, criteria, and engineering tasks for product development, production, integration, and test.
• Assist or lead design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) reviews; recommend geometry or material changes to reduce production cost.
• Generate and maintain technical documentation: specifications, test plans, failure‑analysis reports, and engineering change orders (ECOs).
• Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to qualify components, conduct fit‑checks, and resolve technical issues.
• Support prototype build‑up, fixture design, and tooling selection; oversee test‑fixture fabrication and instrument integration.
• Research, plan, design, and develop mechanical products and systems.
• Analyze complex systems and precision electro‑mechanical assemblies through simulation and/or analysis to recommend substitutions or redesign solutions to ensure platform integrity, safety, and performance while minimally impacting qualification processes.
• Apply research to the planning, design, development, and testing of mechanical and/or electromechanical systems, instruments, controls, engines, and machines.
• Identify, analyze, and solve obsolescence issues.
• Establish milestones and monitor adherence to master plans and schedules.
• Identify program risks and assist in establishing mitigation steps.
• Act independently to uncover and resolve issues associated with the development and implementation of programs.
• Validate and qualify production tooling, fixtures, and automation equipment; coordinate design changes with mechanical engineering.
• Support process improvement and establishment of new or updated processes.
• Perform functional analysis, timeline analysis, detail trade studies, requirements allocation, and interface definition studies to translate customer requirements into hardware specifications.
• Generate reports for customers, engineering leadership, and other cross‑functional organizations.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, best‑practice libraries, and knowledge‑management processes across the organization.

The selected candidate will work full‑time, on‑site at our facility. Remote, hybrid, or telework are not available for this position.

This role may be filled at either the Principal Systems Engineer level or the Sr. Principal Systems Engineer level based on the qualifications listed.

• Principal Systems Engineer:
  Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related experience; or Master’s and 3 years; or PhD and 1 year.
• Sr. Principal Systems Engineer:
  Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM discipline and 8 years of related experience; or Master’s and 6 years; or PhD and 4 years.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain DoD Secret/SAP clearance within a reasonable timeframe.
• Must be able to work on‑site in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Experience with CAD modeling (NX, CATIA).
• Experience performing best‑fit analysis of aircraft structures.
• Basic knowledge of composites.
• Ability to mentor junior engineers.
• Experience in systems engineering across the full lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience with requirements management tools (DOORS, JIRA, or equivalent).
• Proven ability to lead technical efforts and work…