Description

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 Propulsion Engineer or Sr. Principal Propulsion Engineer to join our team at our Elkton, Maryland location to support the Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) business unit.

Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems and Controls (PS&C) facility in Elkton, Maryland began solid‑propellant rocket operations in 1948. Today, the Elkton PS&C facility designs, develops, and produces solid‑propellant propulsion, ordnance and motion controls systems in programs professionally managed for a wide variety of Government and commercial customers. The facility also serves as the hub for offsite engineering and test facilities in Ronkonkoma, NY and Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Elkton, Maryland is located on the Upper Chesapeake Bay, midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Discover charming small towns, parks with miles of trails, specialty and antique shops, award‑winning restaurants, and inns. You can hike, bike, camp, bird watch, ride horseback, or drop a fishing line. Five rivers, Chesapeake Bay and the C&D Canal can be explored by boat or by land. Experience panoramic views from Turkey Point Lighthouse on a bluff overlooking the Bay, or from the banks of the C&D Canal where ships from around the globe cruise. https://www.ccgov.org/government/tourism

Overview

We are seeking a Principal or Sr. Principal Mechanical Engineer to serve as the mechanical design lead for actuation and motion control hardware within our Propulsion Systems & Control (PS&C) business unit. This role sits on the Motion Controls team, which develops high‑reliability, high‑capability systems such as:

Rocket motor nozzle vectoring mechanisms and controllers
Flight surface actuators
Cold and hot gas valve / thruster actuation
Other critical motion control systems for space and defense applications

You will serve as the mechanical engineering lead – ensuring the design is technically sound, coordinating across disciplines (mechanical, electrical, systems, manufacturing), and driving execution so performance, cost, and schedule objectives are met. This role still requires solid understanding of electric motors, gearboxes, and thermal constraints, but places greater emphasis on leading teams and managing mechanical scope across the program.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Planning (Primary)

Provide technical leadership for the mechanical design and development of actuators, mechanisms, and motion control hardware from concept through qualification and production.
Define mechanical scope, work packages, objectives, and deliverables in collaboration with project engineering, systems, and functional leads.
Develop and maintain plans for mechanical tasks, including schedules, resource needs, budgets, and major technical milestones.
Serve as the primary mechanical point of contact for your hardware with program management, customers, and internal stakeholders.
Ensure that considerations for electric motor/gearbox selection, thermal performance, and electrical integration are appropriately captured in mechanical requirements and design reviews.

Design Oversight & Integration

Guide and review detailed mechanical design, CAD models, and drawings (Siemens NX), ensuring they meet requirements, standard work, and producibility expectations.
Coordinate MCAD/ECAD integration with electrical engineering – connector placement, interfaces, clearances, harness routing, and packaging of boards and sensors in housings.
Work closely with systems engineering to interpret system‑level requirements, flow them down to mechanical requirements, and plan verification approaches.
Ensure electric motor and gearbox performance, environmental limits, and duty cycles are correctly accounted for in the mechanical design and requirements.
Support design trades and decision‑making that balance technical performance, thermal constraints, cost, and schedule.

Risk Management, RCCA, and Quality

Identify technical and execution risks for mechanical scope (including motor/gearbox and thermal risks) and maintain risk entries, mitigation plans, and contingency options.
Lead or oversee FMEA/FMECA efforts and other proactive risk‑management activities for mechanical and electromechanical hardware.
Lead root‑cause and corrective action (RCCA) efforts for mechanical issues in development, test, or production, and drive closure of non‑conformances and corrective actions.
Ensure quality standards are met via structured design reviews, peer reviews, test readiness reviews, and disciplined configuration management.

Cost, Schedule, and CAM‑Like Responsibilities

Support or act as Cost Account Manager (CAM) for mechanical scope: planning budgets, tracking actuals, and maintaining estimate‑to‑complete.
Monitor performance against mechanical scope plans, including progress to schedule, budget, and technical metrics; report status and variances to program leadership.
Drive decisions and trades that balance technical performance, schedule, and cost, and clearly communicate rationale and impacts.
Provide credible technical and programmatic inputs to proposals, change requests, and long‑range planning for motion‑control hardware.

Cross‑Functional & Supplier Coordination

Coordinate with procurement, suppliers, and manufacturing engineers to ensure hardware and materials are specified correctly, manufacturable, and delivered on time.
Support or lead build, integration, and test activities, ensuring issues are rapidly triaged, assigned, and resolved across the team.
Prepare and present clear technical and programmatic content for internal and customer design reviews throughout the design lifecycle.
Recommend and drive improvements to design practices, tools, and processes to increase reliability, reduce cycle time, and improve team effectiveness.

Basic Qualifications – Principal Mechanical 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 (10–25%)

Basic Qualifications – Sr. Principal Mechanical 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 required)
Ability and willingness to travel as required (10–25%)

(Level will be based on experience, education, and demonstrated competency.)

Preferred Qualifications (Both Levels)

Demonstrated leadership of mechanical design for complex electro‑mechanical systems (actuators, mechanisms, motion control hardware) from concept through production.
Experience leading multi‑disciplinary teams (mechanical, electrical, systems, manufacturing, test) to plan, design, fabricate, integrate, and install motion‑control subsystems.
Strong experience collaborating with systems engineering to interpret and flow down requirements and to develop verification strategies.
Experience as a Cost Account Manager (CAM) or similar role, maintaining budgetary and schedule compliance while ensuring technical quality of the mechanical scope.
Familiarity with electric motor and gearbox design and application in motion‑control systems, and with the associated thermal and duty cycle constraints.
Active Secret (or higher) Security Clearance.
Proficiency with Siemens NX and Siemens Teamcenter Unified Architecture for CAD and configuration management.
Experience with structured failure analysis and risk management techniques (e.g., FMECA, risk registers, RCCA).
Strong communication skills, with a track record of clear technical and programmatic presentations to internal leadership and customers.

Mechanical Engineer/ Lvl 3/4– Motion Controls and Avionics (Design Lead)

About the role

Description