Principal/Sr. Principal Thermal Systems Engineer (Active TS)

The Thermal, Propulsion & Cryocooler Systems (TPCS) department, part of the Western Region Vehicle Engineering organization, is comprised of approximately 75 highly skilled professionals, ranging from early-career engineers to senior chief engineers and leadership. Supporting numerous programs, the department offers abundant opportunities for career advancement into higher-level technical roles or leadership positions. Our culture emphasizes cross-program collaboration, continuous professional growth, and a strong sense of community.

The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of thermal-engineering principles, theories, and concepts, and will be familiar with related engineering disciplines.

Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

Develop thermal-systems requirements.
Perform thermal analyses to create and optimize thermal-control designs, delivering solutions to a wide range of challenging problems.
Document thermal analyses and designs.
Review and approve drawings for thermal-design hardware content.
Report analysis results and design details to internal management and external customers.
Partner with test engineering to plan and execute subsystem-level thermal tests and perform associated analyses.
Provide feedback on the impact of potential cost and/or schedule changes.
Work independently with minimal technical oversight and general direction.
Coordinate with other engineering disciplines.
Mentor junior engineers and provide guidance on best practices.
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Thermal Systems Engineer level or a Sr. Principal Thermal Systems Engineer level based on the qualifications listed below.

Basic Qualifications - Principal Thermal Systems Engineer:

Bachelor's degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline with 5+ years of engineering experience; or Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of engineering experience; or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 1+ years of engineering experience.
Must possess an active Top Secret clearance at time of application and be able and willing to obtain and maintain SCI access
Thermal design and/or analysis experience for spacecraft subsystems, payloads and directed energy systems
Demonstrated expertise in thermal testing, thermal requirements derivation and verification, and advanced thermal materials

Basic Qualifications - Sr. Principal Thermal Systems Engineer:

Bachelor's degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline with 8+ years of engineering experience; or Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of engineering experience; or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 4+ years of engineering experience.
Must possess an active Top Secret clearance at time of application and be able and willing to obtain and maintain SCI access
Thermal design and/or analysis experience for spacecraft subsystems, payloads and directed energy systems
Demonstrated expertise in thermal testing, thermal requirements derivation and verification, and advanced thermal materials

Preferred Qualifications:

Design, analysis and integration experience of spacecraft thermal systems
Experience using thermal analysis tools (SINDA/G, SINDA/FLUINT, TSS, Thermal Desktop)
Experience using aerospace standard design tools (NX, CATIA)
MS in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with 6 years of engineering experience
Experience with space vehicle thermal design and/or integration
Detail-oriented and have excellent verbal and written communications skills, leadership skills, and organization skills
Spacecraft and/or Payload background with experience through the entire system lifecycle from concept, design, production, integration, test, launch, to operation support.
Experience working on thermal design and troubleshooting efforts.
Northrop Grumman offers a competitive and robust benefits program. As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for:
Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
401k
Educational Assistance
Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
Paid-Time off
Health & Wellness Resources
Employee Discounts
Flexible Schedules: For example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work
For more details, please view Northrop Grumman Benefits.

Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The 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.

Client-provided location(s): Redondo Beach, CA

Job ID: NorthropGrumman-R10230018

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2026-04-19T20:31:09