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Senior Staff Engineering Program Manager (EPM)

Northrop Grumman

McLean, VAFull-time$193–289K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$193–289K/yr
Location
McLean, VA
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’s Space Sector seeks a Senior Staff Engineering Program Manager to oversee technical execution and process improvement across spacecraft development programs. The role guides senior engineers and Integrated Product Team Leads, manages engineering project performance against requirements, schedules, and budgets, and coordinates with engineering, program management, supply chain, and mission assurance stakeholders. The position is 100% onsite in Dulles or McLean, Virginia, and follows a 9/80 schedule.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Spacecraft Product DevelopmentMultidisciplinary Team LeadershipTechnical Engineering DevelopmentEngineering IntegrationProduct Lifecycle DevelopmentBudget ManagementTechnical Program ManagementEVMSCost EstimationEAC ManagementProposal ManagementIntegrated Master SchedulingSubcontract ManagementSupplier ManagementProgram PlanningRisk ManagementStaffingEngineering MetricsTraining Resource ManagementHardware SystemsSoftware Systems

Qualifications

Bachelor's+14, Master's+12 or PhD+10 YearsActive U.S. Top-Secret Clearance4+ Years Team Leadership8+ Years Engineering DevelopmentChief Engineer, SEIT Lead, IPT Lead, Program Manager, Project Manager or EPM ExperienceActive TS/SCI or TS With SAPAdvanced STEM Degree5+ Years Engineering Team Direction5+ Years Aerospace or Defense Development Leadership

Benefits

Relocation Assistance
Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

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’s Space Sector is seeking a Sr. Staff Engineering Program Manager (EPM) Level 6 to join our team in Dulles, VA or McLean, VA. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.

This role oversees technical execution, process improvement, guiding senior engineers and Integrated Product Team Leads, while ensuring projects meet requirements, schedules, and budgets. Responsible for engineering project execution, driving program performance, interfacing with Chief Engineers, Lead Systems Engineers, Program Management Office (PMO), Supply Chain, and Mission Assurance to deliver commitments.

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

Your Role and Impact:

  • Primary point of contact for engineering execution to the Program Management Office

  • Lead IPT Leads and Subsystem Leads over various disciplines (Systems, Hardware, Software, Integration and Test, Production, etc) through all phases: proposal, design, build, delivery

  • Oversee engineering challenges, risk mitigation, and process improvement across Spacecraft Development Programs

  • Accountable for the development and management of project budgets, schedules, Earned Value Management System (EVMS), Estimates at Complete (EACs), Risk & Opportunity Management, Proposal quoting efforts, Resource Demands, and Work execution/forecasts according to the SOW

  • Provide progress briefings to internal/external stakeholders

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

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree with 14 years of professional experience or Master’s degree with 12 years of professional experience or PhD with 10 years of professional experience

  • Requires an active U.S. Government Top-Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope

  • Experience in at least one spacecraft product development program

  • 4+ years of leadership of multidisciplinary teams achieving technical, cost, schedule targets

  • 8+ years of technical engineering development and integration

  • Experience in the full lifecycle development of a product

  • Experience managing budgets and complex technical programs

  • Expert in EVMS and prior CAM experience managing tracked projects, Success in effective cost estimations

  • Expertise in EVMS and prior CAM experience managing projects with demonstrated success in work estimation

  • Demonstrated success in EAC management, proposals, IMS, Subcontract/supplier management

  • Prior Experience as a Chief Engineer, System Engineering Integration and Test (SEIT Lead), Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, Program Manager, Project Management, or EPM - in addition to CAM experience

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Active TS/SCI or TS with SAP

  • Advanced degree in STEM or related fields

  • Program management experience leading complex, multidisciplinary projects from concept to delivery

  • Full product lifecycle experience in spacecraft and/or ground systems

  • 5+ years directing multifunction engineering teams, project planning, risk management

  • 5+ years leading engineering teams through development/design programs in aerospace, defense, or related sectors

  • Experience with staffing, engineering metrics, training resources/tools

  • Risk/opportunity/issue management for complex hardware/software systems

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

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

#NOVASPACE

#SPEnhancedERAP

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 - $289,200.00

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 2,193 open Engineering Management jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$193–289K/yr
  • Virginia median$148–259K/yr63 salary ranges
  • US median$148–264K/yr1,757 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $241K, is 22% above the Virginia median midpoint ($198K) — in the top quarter of Engineering Management salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 77 open Engineering Management jobs in Virginia and 2,193 across the US. 8% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 10 years of experience; Engineering Management postings that state a minimum ask for 8 years at the median (1,892 postings).
Education
894 of the 2,193 open Engineering Management jobs (41%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 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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