RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: 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 Space Systems is looking for a Sr. Staff Optomechanical Engineer to support the Electro-Optics Group within the Launch Vehicles business unit in Chandler, Arizona .
You will serve as a senior technical leader and subject-matter expert on optomechanical design and performance across multiple programs. You will work as part of, and often serve as a technical lead for, multi-disciplinary seeker and electro-optical engineering teams responsible for the architecture, design, integration, and test of development and flight hardware. The role focuses on the advanced mechanical design and analysis of optical assemblies and structures, ensuring robust performance in demanding flight and environmental conditions.
Responsibilities:
Provide technical leadership and cross program oversight of optomechanical design and performance for seeker and electro optical systems across multiple programs and phases of the product life cycle.
Define and champion optomechanical architecture, design standards, and drive continued process improvements that are reused across programs to ensure performance, producibility, and affordability.
Lead or oversee the mechanical design of complex optical assemblies, mounts, structures, and tolerance budgets for imaging and sensing systems, including line of sight critical elements and precision mechanisms.
Plan, perform, and review Structural, Thermal, and Optical Performance (STOP) analysis and Structurally Induced Line of Sight (SILOS) analysis to ensure system performance over expected environmental and operational conditions.
Develop and guide the development of complex 3D CAD models, detailed part/assembly drawings, and associated documentation; ensure configuration control and design traceability across programs.
Work collaboratively with optical, systems, electrical, manufacturing, and test engineering teams to refine requirements and ensure design feasibility, producibility, and verification approaches.
Provide technical directions to teams performing environmental test planning, execution, and correlation of analysis with test results (vibration, thermal, shock, etc.), and drive resolution of discrepancies.
Serve as a key reviewer and approver in internal and external design reviews, presenting technical findings, risks, and recommendations to program leadership and customer stakeholders.
Lead troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and design updates for prototype and production hardware.
Mentor and coach junior and mid-level engineers, helping develop technical depth in optomechanical design, analysis, and test across the organization.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related discipline from an accredited university and 14 years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree and 12 years of experience; or a PhD and 10 years of experience.
Active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope.
Extensive experience with opto-mechanical or precision…