RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE TYPE: Top SecretTRAVEL: 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.The Mission Execution Lead drives operational readiness and execution of satellite missions from integrated testing through launch and early orbit. This role owns the development and maintenance of flight execution and mission rehearsal plans, staffing coordination, and simulation timelines. The Execution Lead serves as the primary interface to the mission integrator for integrated operations planning. It is accountable for vehicle-side readiness, including procedures, scripts, command sequences, telemetry page development, and timelines. This individual leads rehearsals, directs live mission execution, adjudicates vehicle-side action items, and ensures engineering coordination across disciplines. The Execution Lead provides critical technical inputs to TRRs, MRRs, LRRs, and supports end-to-end testing in hardware-in-the-loop or integrated environments.
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The successful candidate will be expected to:
Author and maintain flight execution and mission rehearsal plans.
Coordinate staffing, training, and simulation timelines to ensure readiness for critical operations.
Lead mission simulations and act as vehicle-side lead during rehearsals and live mission execution.
Responsible for mission procedures, scripts, command sequences, telemetry page development, and mission execution timelines.
Responsible for adjudicating vehicle-side Action items and corrective action.
Responsible for ensuring proper rehearsals and live ops baselines.
Act as the primary interface with the mission integrator for integrated operations planning.
Lead engineering coordination during rehearsals and mission events.
Provide technical inputs to Test Readiness Reviews (TRRs), Mission Readiness Reviews (MRRs), Launch Readiness Reviews (LRRs), and other milestone reviews as required.
Support mission readiness testing in hardware-in-the-loop or integrated testbeds.
Occasional travel to test and integration sites is required.
Shift work will be required during mission rehearsals and flight operations.
Basic Qualifications:
A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related STEM discipline
12 years of related experience with BS; 10 years with MS; 8 years with PhD.
U.S. citizen.
An active or current Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain SCI is required at the time of application.
Prior experience executing on-orbit mission operations, performing vehicle system engineering tasks, and/or resolving satellite/ground system anomalies
Familiarity with aspects of the satellite system life cycle, including development, launch, commissioning, and sustainment operations
Experience writing technical documents for internal or external customers
Experience leading operational rehearsals or mission timelines.
Strong knowledge of spacecraft command and telemetry systems.
Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally under pressure in a flight or launch environment.
Strong technical communication skills, demonstrating an ability to convey complex engineering concepts to technical and non-technical audiences while maintaining an easy-to-work-with approach
Experience briefing executives and customers.
Preferred Qualifications:
Active TS/SCI clearance
Ability to work within a team of diverse, geographically dispersed individuals to achieve mission success
Experience with Satellite Mission planning and Rendezvous Proximity Operations
Experience working within government systems and processes
Fleet management experience or at least experience in a multi-vehicle operations environment
Experience with satellite-ground integration and launch vehicle interface planning.
* Prior role as Ops Test Lead or Vehicle Integration Lead.
Salary Range: $171,000.00 - $246,000.00The 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.