Jobs / United States / Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Principal Flight Test Engineer - Unmanned Air Vehicles

United States-Maryland-Patuxent River Posted today

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Sponsorship verdict

Posting rules out sponsorship

The posting rules out sponsorship or requires citizenship or security 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.
  • Security clearance mentionedFrom the posting’s own wording.
  • Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
Details and sources
No salary bar for this route
H-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.

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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Before you apply

Requirement gap

The posting mentions a security clearance — usually restricted to citizens of that country.

Sponsorship unknown

No register record and no sponsorship wording in the posting. Worth asking the employer before investing significant time.

These come from the posting’s own wording. Read the original listing to confirm. See better-fit alternatives →

About the role

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 25% 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 Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Flight Test Engineer / Principal Flight Test Engineer - Unmanned Air Vehicles to join the team of qualified individuals. Position is located in Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD​. The MQ-4C Triton test team has an opening for an FTE to write test plans and conduct developmental ground and flight tests. Candidates must be willing to learn the role of flight test engineering and the requisite organizational support in executing flight test programs. Key Responsibilities: • Participate in all facets of flight test planning and execution in multiple areas including requirements development, test planning, test event preparation, and test coordination. • Planning the event (preparing flight profiles and test cards, etc.), briefing (pre/post), leading the event, and completing post event reporting such as a flash report. • Coordinate appropriate resources and assets for the event (aircrew, airspace, etc.) with the scheduling team in support of the test event. • Chase vehicle duties. • Obtaining an airfield driver’s license and completing a qualification training plan. • Interface with the customer to assist in the development and modification of test plans as required to support test. We offer flexible work arrangements, 4/10 work schedule with every Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do. *Position may be filled at either level depending on qualifications below * Basic Qualifications for a level 2: • Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 2 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 0 years of related professional/military experience. Basic Qualifications for a level 3: • Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Master's degree AND 3 years of related professional/military experience, OR a Ph.D. AND 1 year of related professional/military experience. Basic Qualifications for Both Levels: • Must have an active US Government Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation). • Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs. • Ability to obtain and maintain US Government Top Secret clearance  • Must be willing to work a flexible work schedule that may include extended shifts, weekends, and holidays. • Must be able to work plane-side both indoors and outside. Preferred Qualifications

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