Senior Staff Optomechanical Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: SecretTRAVEL: 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 electro-mechanical design, analysis, and integration for high reliability systems.

• Demonstrated mastery of structural and thermal analysis methods and their impact on optical performance (e.g., STOP/SILOS concepts); ANSYS preferred.

• Proficiency with 3D CAD tools (e.g., CREO, NX, SolidWorks); NX preferred.

• Experience configuring parametric CAD models in support of Design of Experiment (DOE) and variability analysis

• Experience with optical imaging systems in one or more bands (e.g., visible through LWIR) and the impacts of optical component mounting, alignment, and thermal-mechanical environments on image quality and line of sight

• Expertise in relevant industry standards (such as ISO, MIL-STD) and their application to optomechanical design.

• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills, including the ability to generate clear documentation and present design/analysis results.

• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional or cross-program technical efforts, including presenting detailed and concise technical content to program leadership and customer leadership/SMEs

Preferred Qualifications

• MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.

• Hands-on experience with advanced STOP and SILOS modeling workflows and integration with optical design tools.

• Experience with missile systems, seeker systems, or other high-reliability, environmentally challenging applications.

• Previous experience with DoD missile defense programs and associated standards

• Deep experience with EO systems including tolerance analysis, precision alignment, error budgets, and opto-mechanical design/integration.

• Experience configuring parametric CAD models for thermal/structural analysis in support of DOE, with statistical analysis performed using tools such as JMP.

• Experience with optical design tools such as ZEMAX, Code V, and FRED and their interface with mechanical and thermal counterpart tools.

• Experience leading or overseeing hardware test campaigns and correlating analysis to measured performance.

Primary Level Salary Range: $183,200.00 - $274,800.00The 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.