Jobs / United States / Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
Space Vehicle Chief Engineer – Staff Systems Engineer
Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation · 🇺🇸 United States-Virginia-Dulles
Sponsorship verdict
Posting rules out sponsorship
The posting rules out sponsorship or requires citizenship/clearance.
- No government sponsor record hereThis employer posted directly and does not match a government sponsor register.
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- Security clearance mentionedFrom the posting’s own wording.
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
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Why not apply?
The posting mentions a security clearance — usually restricted to citizens of that country.
No register record and no sponsorship wording in the posting. Worth asking the employer before investing significant time.
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Sponsor Radar — Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
This employer posted directly and does not match a government sponsor register.
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About the role
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 Space Systems Sector seeks a qualified Systems Engineer to serve as the Chief Engineer for a Space Vehicle development program within Space Superiority Division. The qualified candidate will lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team executing the design and development of a Space Vehicle and its associated Mission, as well as support related capture efforts. In this leadership level role, the Chief Engineer is expected to be self-directed using previous experience to lead design, analysis, and execution efforts, while also recognizing and mitigating technical issues/risks that may impact capability, cost, or schedule. Regular interaction with senior business leadership and the Customer is expected, meaning that presentation skills and particularly the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to either technical or nontechnical audiences is required. The Chief Engineer has technical oversight for the program, and primary duties include: • Leading and supporting the spacecraft and mission engineering team. • Serving as the primary technical advisor to the program manager and being a trusted technical point of contact for the Customer. • Coordinating engineering activities across spacecraft, payload, GNC, software, communications, ground, and mission-operations teams. • Identifying and resolving technical issues and risks that could affect mission capability, cost, or schedule. • Supporting spacecraft integration and test, mission-readiness activities, launch preparation, commissioning, and on-orbit execution. • Developing and presenting engineering content at major technical reviews and program milestones. • Coordinating internal responses to cross-segment issues and providing high level briefings on major decision points to senior leadership • Ensuring that all engineering teams adhere to sound engineering processes, in accordance with company policies, procedures, and quality standards • Managing the integration of complex payloads. • Mentoring, training, and directing junior staff. Basic Qualifications: • Bachelor’s Degree STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) or related technical field, and 12 years of applicable experience; a Master’s Degree and 10 years of applicable experience; or a PhD and 8 years of applicable experience • Must have active Top Secret Clearance at time of application • Experience with spacecraft design, space mission architectures, or space systems development, integration, test, or operations. • Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or complex technical efforts. • Demonstrated ability to identify and resolve complex technical issues and communicate effectively with technical teams, program leadership, customers, or mission partners. • Demonstrated strong communication skills