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Principal /Senior Principal Mission Architect Engineer - 15K Sign-On-Bonus

Northrop Grumman

Colorado Springs, COJob$104–194K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$104–194K/yr
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Work Authorization
Citizenship required

Olive focuses on jobs in the United States, including remote roles you can work from there.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Top Secret clearance, required

Job overview

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector seeks a Principal or Senior Principal Mission Architect Engineer in Colorado Springs to develop Space Test and Training Modeling and Simulation capabilities and integrate simulation components with satellite mission-planning and C2 ground software. The role supports cross-system training platforms, government-user exercises, and feasibility studies. Candidates must hold an active Top Secret clearance and meet one of the stated education-and-experience paths; SCI access is also required.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Mission Planning, requiredOrbital Analysis, requiredRendezvous and Proximity Operations, requiredModeling and Simulation, requiredCommand and Control, requiredScene Visualization, requiredAstrodynamics, requiredC2 Simulation Environments, requiredRequirements Decomposition, requiredPython, nice to haveMATLAB, nice to haveC, nice to haveC++, nice to haveOpen Simulation Standards, nice to haveDistributed Interactive Simulation, nice to haveHigh-Level Architecture, nice to haveSoftware Interface Control Documents, nice to haveSoftware Internal Block Diagrams, nice to haveData-Flow Diagrams, nice to haveExternal Organization Collaboration, nice to have

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Engineering or STEM, required5+ Years Related Engineering Experience, requiredMaster's With 3+ Years or PhD With 1+ Year, requiredActive Top Secret Clearance, requiredAbility to Obtain SCI Access, requiredBachelor's in Engineering or STEM, required8+ Years Related Engineering Experience, requiredMaster's With 6+ Years or PhD With 4+ Years, requiredActive Top Secret Clearance, requiredAbility to Obtain SCI Access, requiredActive TS/SCI Clearance, nice to have

Benefits

Relocation Assistance
Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: No

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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As a Principal Mission Architect Engineer Level 3 or Senior Principal Mission Architect Engineer Level 4 located in Colorado Springs, CO, you’ll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one.

This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT:

  • Own the development of Space Test and Training Modeling and Simulation capabilities to enable the initial delivery of an Operations C2 / Tactical C2 Training Prototype.

  • Integrate simulation components (e.g., Space Vehicle Simulators) with operational satellite Mission Planning and C2 Ground Software.

  • Collaborate across multiple teams to develop a training platform spanning across multiple disparate systems.

  • Partner with Government End-Users to support occasional crew training exercises.

  • Support feasibility and risk reduction studies.

If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, consider joining our team!

$15K Sign on bonus payable to qualified new external hires only. Internals are not eligible.

This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period as determined by the company.

Required Qualifications Level 3:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering or other STEM related degree with 5 years of experience in a related engineering field such as mechanical, electrical, aerospace and/or operations; 3 years with a Master’s; 1 year with PhD.

  • Requires an active Top-Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access

  • Relevant experience with mission planning and/or orbital analyst responsibilities and/or processes focusing on Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO).

  • Experience with modeling and simulation tools (e.g., Space Vehicle Simulators).

  • Familiarity with mission applications dealing with command and control, mission planning, scene visualization, and/or astrodynamics.

  • Experience with different forms of Space Operational C2 and/or Tactical C2 simulation test/training environments.

  • Experience with software or modeling and simulation requirements decomposition.

Required Qualifications Level 4:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering or other STEM related degree with 8 years of experience in a related engineering field such as mechanical, electrical, aerospace and/or operations; 6 years with a Master’s; 4 year with PhD.

  • Requires an active Top-Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access

  • Relevant experience with mission planning and/or orbital analyst responsibilities and/or processes focusing on Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO).

  • Experience with modeling and simulation tools (e.g., Space Vehicle Simulators).

  • Familiarity with mission applications dealing with command and control, mission planning, scene visualization, and/or astrodynamics.

  • Experience with different forms of Space Operational C2 and/or Tactical C2 simulation test/training environments.

  • Experience with software or modeling and simulation requirements decomposition.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience with Python, MATLAB, C, or C++.

  • Experience with Open Simulation Standards (e.g., Distributed Interactive Simulation, High-Level Architecture, or similar).

  • Previous exposure to Software Interface Control Documents (ICDs).

  • Previous exposure to Software internal block diagrams (IBDs) and/or data-flow diagrams.

  • Experience working with external organizations or vendors on behalf of a team or company.

  • Active TS/SCI Clearance.

#COSpace

#SpaceSysEngJobs

#SpaceEngJobs

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00

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.

Job Category: Engineering

How this job compares

Set against the 11,391 open Systems Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 14, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$104–194K/yr
  • Colorado median$115–180K/yr780 salary ranges
  • US median$115–189K/yr8,740 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $149K, is close to the Colorado median midpoint ($150K) — in the middle half of Systems Engineer salary ranges in Colorado.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 872 open Systems Engineer jobs in Colorado and 11,391 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Colorado
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience — less than three in four Systems Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 9,401 postings).
Education
4,237 of the 11,391 open Systems Engineer jobs (37%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 14, 2026. Figures based on too few postings are left out.

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