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Structural Engineer Mechanical - Level 2/3 - East Hartford

Northrop Grumman

East Hartford, CTFull-time$92–171K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$92–171K/yr
Location
East Hartford, CT
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Top Secret clearance

Job overview

Northrop Grumman seeks a Level 2 or Level 3 Structural Engineer for its Space Sector in East Hartford, Connecticut. The engineer will support thermal, opto-mechanical, and electrical power systems through design and analysis, modeling, drawings, testing, and production transition. The position is 100% onsite, follows a 9/80 schedule, and includes periodic travel to supported locations.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Manufacturing PracticesDesign PracticesDrawing PracticesGeometric Dimensioning and TolerancingMechanical EngineeringAnalytical Problem SolvingTechnical AbilitiesOral CommunicationWritten CommunicationPresentation SkillsMS OfficeNX CADSolidWorksCREOIndependent WorkTeamworkPrecision MechanismsOpto-Mechanical DesignOptical AssemblyInterferometryAlignmentTest EquipmentOpto-Mechanical Best PracticesThermal SystemsFluid MechanicsThermodynamicsFinite Element AnalysisNASTRANANSYS

Qualifications

Bachelor's in STEM or Master'sMaster's in Mechanical Engineering, Business, or STEMTop Secret Clearance EligibilityActive Top Secret Clearance2+ Years Professional ExperienceMaster's With 0 Years or Bachelor's With 2 YearsBachelor's With 5 Years, Master's With 3 Years, or PhD With 1 Year

Benefits

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

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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’s Space Sector is seeking a Structural Engineer – Level 2 or Level 3 to join our team in East Hartford, CT. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.

Thermal, Optics, & Power Systems (TOPS) Operating Unit is a leading supplier of thermal heat-pipe systems, complex electro-optic and photonic systems, and electronic power systems.

Reporting to the Structural Engineering Manager, the Structural Engineer will support all three product areas under TOPS: Thermal heat pipes, opto-mechanical systems, and electrical power systems. They will perform design and analysis for electro-optic mechanical systems, tooling, and test equipment, designing hardware that satisfies system requirements, documenting design approaches, detailing parts and assembly drawings to support the development, manufacturing, and testing of systems.

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

Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Provide remote and on-site engineering support to each location (East Hartford, CT; Devens, MA; Hanover, MD) based on program priorities, with the flexibility to shift focus quickly as needs change

  • Rapidly learn and work within multiple product lines, tools, and processes across the three businesses, adapting to different customer requirements and design standards

  • Ensure consistent application of structural/mechanical engineering standards, configuration control, and documentation practices across the three supported businesses

  • Perform mechanical design on multiple projects through all phases of development and manufacturing.

  • Create part and assembly models, detailed drawings and associated parts lists, in accordance with AMSE Y14.5, ASME Y14.100

  • Perform analysis of optics, mounting strategies, detailed geometric tolerances, manufacturability, and cost

  • Support transition to production and manufacturing engineering

  • Provide technical solutions to complex problems which require regular use of technical acumen, ingenuity and creativity

  • Perform trade studies, design of experiments, assembly and testing of parts, components, and assemblies

  • Conduct peer reviews of other engineer’s work products

  • undefined

  • Other duties as assigned

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

This position can be filled at either a Level 2 or Level 3.

Basic Qualifications for Level 2:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 2 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 0 years of professional experience.

  • No clearance required to start

  • General knowledge of or coursework in manufacturing, design and drawing practices including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing

  • A thorough understanding of mechanical engineering principles, theories, and applications

  • Analytical problem solver with strong technical abilities; results and deadline driven; excellent oral and written communication skills including presentation skills

  • Proficient in MS Office software

  • Experience or coursework in CAD systems: NX CAD, SolidWorks or CREO

  • Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance

Basic Qualifications for Level 3:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 5 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of professional experience.

  • No clearance required to start

  • General knowledge of or coursework in manufacturing, design and drawing practices including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing

  • A thorough understanding of mechanical engineering principles, theories, and applications

  • Analytical problem solver with strong technical abilities; results and deadline driven; excellent oral and written communication skills including presentation skills

  • Proficient in MS Office software

  • Experience or coursework in CAD systems: NX CAD, SolidWorks or CREO

  • Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment

  • Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Business or other STEM discipline

  • Experience working with micro or small precision form factor mechanisms; opto-mechanical designs; optical assembly, interferometer and alignment, test equipment and tools

  • Understanding of opto-mechanical design best practices and basic understanding of the other engineering disciplines

  • Familiarity with 2-phase thermal systems, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics

  • Finite Element Analysis using NASTRAN, ANSYS or other FEA tools

  • Active Top Secret security clearance

Working Environment & Physical Demands:

  • Travel as required (10%) - Travel periodically to supported locations to provide hands-on support, build relationships with local teams, and gain direct familiarity with site-specific hardware and processes

  • Ability to sit and/or stand for extended periods of times and light physical effort as required

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards (https://totalrewards.northropgrumman.com/?\_gl=1*1y2u5rc*\_gcl\_au*MTkyMjcyNDUxNS4xNzUyNTg4MDg3*\_ga*MzA4NDM5NjgzLjE2NzM5ODM3ODg.*\_ga\_7YV3CDX0R2*czE3NTMyNzU3NDgkbzEyMzckZzEkdDE3NTMyNzY2ODQkajU5JGwwJGgw)

#SpaceEngJobs

Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00

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.

Job Category: Engineering

How this job compares

Set against the 2,993 open Structural Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 29, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$92–171K/yr
  • Connecticut median$92–152K/yr40 salary ranges
  • US median$100–153K/yr1,878 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $131K, is 4% above the Connecticut median midpoint ($126K) — in the middle half of Structural Engineer salary ranges in Connecticut.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 45 open Structural Engineer jobs in Connecticut and 2,993 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Connecticut
Experience
This posting asks for no prior experience — less than three in four Structural Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 2,538 postings).
Education
2,312 of the 2,993 open Structural Engineer jobs (77%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 29, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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