Sr Principal Airborne Systems Operator (Top Secret Required; Chantilly VA)

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Chantilly
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time 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 Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Level 4 Senior Principal Airborne System Operator to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located in Chantilly, VA. You will work in Conduct Mission System and Air Vehicle ground and flight tests, as a crewmember or non-crewmember, to support the System Specification verification process, Production Verification, and follow on testing. Responsibilities: Defines plans, organizes and executes complex flight profiles and flight test events. Conducts briefings, debriefings, coordinates with maintenance personnel, engineers, and test directors to analyze and correct discrepancies. Act as engineering and data analysis liaison for Future Development Insertion for the System. Write technical reports for ground and flight test events. Attend Air Vehicle and Mission System Technical Interchange Meetings, Preliminary Design Reviews, Critical Design Reviews, and Flight Readiness Reviews. Support engineering with development of test plans, procedures, and test cards. When designated as Test Conductor, be responsible for overall conduct of test, act as engineering and data analysis liaison for test conducted, and write technical reports for ground and flight test events. May conduct demonstration flights with customers, government officials, or other personnel to exhibit aircraft performance, flying qualities and system capabilities. Analyze situations to discover facts, knowledge, interpretations to carry out prescribe actions. Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and organizational skills as well as oral and written communication skills. Operating familiarity with aviation technical data and training development. We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do. Educational assistance is available to employees who want to continue to learn and develop skills/knowledge. Our educational assistance program supports employee development by providing resources such as: Free Education Advice: Call 855-222-2398 to speak with an experienced advisor to tailor an educational program to your career goals and needs. Tuition Savings at Accredited Schools: Access a network of accredited schools in a variety of locations (and online) to take advantage of reduced tuition costs and waived fees. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide benefits for the member, our leaders and the company. Our ERGs offer opportunities to be a friend, be active, be a volunteer, be a leader, to be recognized and to be yourself. Every ERG is inclusive of all employees Basic Qualifications: Must have a Bachelors of Science with 8 years of relevant professional / military experience in Airborne Systems, or a Masters with 6 years of relevant professional / military experience in Airborne Systems, Must be proficient using MS Office applications and prior experience using imagery exploitation software, such as Socet GXP. Must be willing to work a flexible work schedule that may include extended shifts, holidays, and weekends and support on call status for 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days a year. Must have an active DoD Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation). Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance Must be able to meet medical requirements for an FAA Class 3 physical. Preferred Qualifications: Previous simulator instructor experience. A current SCI clearance and polygraph. Flight experience and familiarity with PFPS, JMPS and/or FalconView mission planning software is highly desired. Primary Level Salary Range: $137,400.00 - $206,000.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business. The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. 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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Montgomery Village , Sr Principal Airborne Systems Operator (Top Secret Required; Chantilly VA), Engineering , Chantilly, Maryland