Skip to main contentA logo with &quat;the muse&quat; in dark blue text.
Northrop Grumman

Principal Engineer/Sr. Principal RF Microwave Design

Baltimore, MD

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.

Want more jobs like this?

Get Software Engineering jobs in Baltimore, MD delivered to your inbox every week.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.

NGMS engineers share a great sense of pride knowing their contributions have a direct effect on the safety and security of the country and its allies. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, teamwork, and bringing your whole self to work to accomplish the mission while learning and having fun along the way. The Airborne Multifunction Sensors Engineering and Sciences (AMS E&S) organization is fertile ground for all experience levels to become part of our growing team and contribute to our goals. The department offers opportunities to grow on a technical track both broad and deep as well as explore project leadership or management positions.

AMS E&S is seeking engineers with experience and interest in electronic assembly and packaging design including:
  • Designing, modeling, and verifying RF, microwave, and mixed signal subsystem assemblies
  • Utilize analysis, simulations and prototyping to develop antenna designs including phased arrays
  • Deriving and trading requirements with subsystem engineers and component level designers
  • Managing RF budgets, frequency planning, and common assembly level interfaces
  • Predicting assembly level performance through selecting materials, components, and packaging approaches, RF chain analysis, electromagnetic simulation, data collection and analysis, and other modeling techniques
  • Working directly with component level design peers developing custom RF integrated circuit designs to meet assembly-level requirements
  • Collaborating with peer functions such as Mechanical, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Test
  • Utilizing world class manufacturing capabilities both on-site and within the broader company for prototyping through full rate production from the foundry level to microelectronic packaging to printed circuit board fabrication and assembly to subsystem level integration and test
  • Working directly with a wide variety of different external supplier partners including leading domestic foundries, printed circuit board fabricators and assemblers, component manufacturers, material fabricators, and more
  • Supporting products throughout the product life cycle
  • RF and mixed signal product types include antenna radiators, circulators, device interposers, filters, manifolds, receiver / exciter assemblies, signal conditioning assemblies, signal generators, and transmit / receive assemblies
This is an on-site position located in Linthicum, MD with easy access to the major cities of Baltimore to the north and Washington DC to the south. The location is a 2-hour drive to the Atlantic Ocean to the east or the Appalachian Mountains to the north and west. The area is rich with historical sites, museums, concerts and performing arts venues, one of the nation's top medical facilities, college and professional sports, nightlife, and many outdoor activities most notably boating and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. The Linthicum campus includes the potential to live in urban, suburban, and waterfront communities within easy commutes and is conveniently located adjacent to the BWI International Airport and an Amtrak rail station.

Principal Engineer Basic Qualifications:
  • Electrical Engineering or related STEM field degree: Bachelor of Science with 5 years of RF/microwave experience; Master's degree with 3 years of RF/microwave experience; or PhD degree
    • Ability to provide solutions to a broad variety of RF/Microwave design and test related problems of complex difficulty. Solutions are imaginative, thorough, and practical.
    • Developing subject matter expertise in one or more areas of RF/Microwave discipline including but not limited to: RF components & assemblies, requirements development, EM and related modeling & simulation, RF test verification, production test support, and design for producibility
    • Exhibit intermediate to expert proficiency with industry standard RF/Microwave modeling, simulation and printed circuit board design tools (i.e. ANSYS HFSS/Maxwell, CST Microwave, Eagleware/Genesys, Keysight ADS, Xpedition, Altium, FEKO, TICRA)
  • US Citizenship is required
  • Proven knowledge of electrical engineering design software and equipment
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Productive in a team working environment
  • Must obtain interim secret (minimum) prior to starting
  • AMC Advanced Program Award prior to candidate starting
Senior Principal Engineer Basic Qualifications:
  • Electrical Engineering or related STEM field degree: Bachelor of Science with 9 years of RF/microwave experience; Master's degree with 7 years of RF/microwave experience; PhD degree with 4 years of experience
    • Ability to develop solutions to a broad variety of RF/Microwave design and test related problems of complex difficulty which require the regular use of ingenuity and creativity
    • Established subject matter expertise in one or more areas of RF/Microwave discipline including but not limited to: RF components & assemblies, requirements development, EM and related modeling & simulation, RF test verification, production test support, and design for producibility
    • Exhibit expert proficiency with industry standard RF/Microwave modeling, simulation and printed circuit board design tools (i.e. ANSYS HFSS/Maxwell, CST Microwave, Eagleware/Genesys, Keysight ADS, Xpedition, Altium, FEKO, TICRA)
  • US Citizenship is required
  • Proven knowledge of electrical engineering design software and equipment
  • Effective verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to design, implement, install and maintain electrical systems
  • Technical Team Leadership
  • Must obtain interim secret (minimum) prior to starting
  • Access AMC Advanced Program Award prior to candidate starting
Preferred Qualifications for both Principal and Senior Principal roles:
  • Secret or Top Secret / SCI security clearance
  • RF and mixed signal printed circuit board and circuit card assembly level design
  • RF budgeting, frequency planning, RF chain analysis and modeling, schematic capture, electromagnetic simulation, signal integrity analysis
  • Component selection and/or custom component requirements flow down and trades
  • Ceramic and organic printed circuit board materials, design, fabrication, and assembly processes
  • Integrated Circuit packaging techniques including chip-and-wire, QFN, flip-chip
  • RF lab equipment such as network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, power meters, etc.
  • Electronic troubleshooting from component to assembly levels
  • Complex data reduction and analysis
  • Product life cycle support from concept through production support
  • Designing for high reliability, mil/aero requirements and environments
  • AESA / phased array, Radar, SIGINT, or SATCOM experience
  • Technical team leadership
  • Experience in the Aerospace or Defense Industry
  • Software tools: Mentor Xpedition DX Designer, ANSYS HFSS, Keysight ADS, Keysight Genesys, MathWorks MATLAB, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Project, Word)
Requirements listed would be obtained through a combination of industry relevant job experience, internship experiences and or schoolwork/classes/research.

Salary Range: $102,400 - $153,600
Salary Range 2: $127,000 - $190,600

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.
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 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 all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Client-provided location(s): Baltimore, MD, USA
Job ID: NorthropGrumman-R10155537
Employment Type: Other

Perks and Benefits

  • Health and Wellness

    • Health Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Life Insurance
    • Short-Term Disability
    • Long-Term Disability
    • HSA
    • HSA With Employer Contribution
    • On-Site Gym
    • Pet Insurance
    • Mental Health Benefits
    • Virtual Fitness Classes
  • Parental Benefits

    • Birth Parent or Maternity Leave
    • Non-Birth Parent or Paternity Leave
    • Fertility Benefits
    • Adoption Assistance Program
    • Family Support Resources
    • Adoption Leave
  • Work Flexibility

    • Flexible Work Hours
    • Remote Work Opportunities
    • Hybrid Work Opportunities
    • Four-Day Work Week
  • Office Life and Perks

    • Commuter Benefits Program
    • Company Outings
    • On-Site Cafeteria
    • Holiday Events
  • Vacation and Time Off

    • Paid Vacation
    • Paid Holidays
    • Sabbatical
    • Leave of Absence
  • Financial and Retirement

    • 401(K)
    • 401(K) With Company Matching
    • Performance Bonus
    • Relocation Assistance
    • Financial Counseling
    • Profit Sharing
  • Professional Development

    • Tuition Reimbursement
    • Promote From Within
    • Mentor Program
    • Shadowing Opportunities
    • Access to Online Courses
    • Lunch and Learns
    • Internship Program
    • Leadership Training Program
    • Associate or Rotational Training Program
  • Diversity and Inclusion

    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
    • Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
    • Woman founded/led

Company Videos

Hear directly from employees about what it is like to work at Northrop Grumman.