Sr Principal Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer - Chandra Flight Operations

US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION: Yes
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE TYPE: None
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.
Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer to support the operation and maintenance of NASA's Chandra spacecraft. The Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of NASA's Great Observatories and delivers ground-breaking science to a world-wide scientific user community.
This individual will work on the Flight Operations Team at the Chandra Operations Control Center (OCC) in Burlington, MA and will interface directly with project scientists from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NASA to help maintain and operate the spacecraft components.
Specific duties include:

• Monitoring subsystem state of health through detailed trending and analysis of satellite data
• Flight system anomaly resolution, including troubleshooting, execution of response and recovery procedures, and development and test of alternative operating modes
• Development of innovative operational approaches and system use techniques
• Development or enhancement of spacecraft commanding and telemetry monitoring products and procedures to effectively conduct on-orbit operations
• Report generation, briefings, and direct customer interactions

Primary responsibilities will be in the areas of the altitude control and propulsion system elements. The major hardware components include sensors (gyros, fine/coarse Sun sensors, star tracking camera), actuators (reaction wheels, solar array drives, thrusters), and associated data routing/processing electronics, along with the detailed control law software that provides highly accurate pointing and maneuvering performance for the observatory. Working with both software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop spacecraft simulators at the control center is also a part of this role.
The selected candidate should be a motivated self-starter who is able to work both collaboratively and independently on long and short term investigations/analyses. The Flight Operations Team values the ability to develop and communicate outside-the-box solutions and we share our customer's passion for advancing the understanding of the universe. This position is nominally day shift hours, but the Spacecraft Subsystem Engineer will be expected to be on call for emergencies or critical operational activities, which may require reporting to the Operations Control Center and may occur outside of nominal business hours.
Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 9+ years of engineering experience OR Master's Degree in a STEM discipline and 7+ years of engineering experience OR PhD Degree in a STEM discipline and 4+ years experience
• Hands-on experience with the design, build, analysis, operation, and/or test of satellite attitude control and propulsion systems.
• Strong fundamentals in classical and modern control theory/design/analysis
• Ability to perform complex system analyses using existing and/or self-developed tools
• Ability to work through complex real-time problems quickly and with limited information

Preferred Qualifications

• BS in STEM discipline with 14 years experience OR Master's degree in STEM discipline, with 12+ years' experience OR PhD with 9 years experience
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: spacecraft guidance navigation and control (including Kalman filters, state determination, attitude estimation), spacecraft and payload/instrument precision pointing system design, analysis and V&V, spacecraft attitude control system analysis, system engineering and design verifications and validation, attitude control sensors/actuators, advanced algorithm development
• Strong engineering fundamentals in fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, mechanics and materials
• Prior experience in liquid rocket propulsion development, design, test and/or Flight Operations
• Experience in on-orbit satellite operations
• Experience in the development/enhancement of models for use in planning spacecraft operations
• A proven team player and effective leader with excellent communication, interpersonal, verbal and presentation skills.
• Proficiency with UNIX/Linux, Matlab, Python, Fortran, Ada, and Excel

Salary Range: $133,000.00 - $199,600.00
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.
Employees may be eligible for 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.
Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.