RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
DescriptionNorthrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal / Senior Principal Engineer Systems Test - Aviation Safety Officialto join the team of qualified individuals on our Test and Evaluation team. This role is located onsite in Palmdale and Edwards AFB, CA.
**This role may be filled at the Principal OR Senior Principal level based on the qualifications listed, below**
In this role, the successful candidate will be assigned to the Flight Test team and Program Depot Maintenance, with primary responsibility for developing and administering the aviation safety program elements of the contractor’s SMS.
Key Responsibilities:
Deliver all the required safety products to comply with DCMA 8210-1D:
- Acts as principal advisor to the program on all aviation safety matters.
- Develops and maintains a comprehensive, site-specific Mishap Response Plan to handle ground accidents, in-flight emergencies, and hazardous material spills.
- Maintains site/program aviation mishap statistics.
- Supports investigations of site/program hazards, incidents, and mishaps.
- Represents the company's operational side during consolidated Aviation Safety Council meetings and cross-team risk assessment reviews.
- Responsible for coordinating semi-annual Safety audits/assessments.
- Provides Safety publications.
- Facilitates annual execution of a mandatory aviation Mishap Response Drill to visually prove emergency compliance to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).
- Addresses airfield hazards such as obstructions, ATC facilities and procedures, Hazardous Air Traffic Reports (HATRs) and BASH.
- Chairs monthly safety meetings, maintains and distributes minutes to the site/program.
- Supports flight/ground incident reporting and documentation.
- Leads SMSPT to facilitate Safety Risk Management (SRM), and Safety Assurance (SA).
- Oversees SMS promotion, workshops and required training (instructs SMS and SMS-related courses. Identifies scheduling and/or scope shortfalls through Program Test Lead / T&E EI&E Lead/Program Lead to request augmentation from internal or external instructors).
- Program representative for Sector sponsored Aviation Safety meetings and training events, e.g. T&E monthly safety meeting.
- Provides data to the SMS Council Aviation Safety Executive and/or the NGAS SMS Administrator to facilitate sector-level risk management, sharing lessons learned, etc. Complies with Corporate and Sector Aviation SMS requirements and supports Corporate and Sector Aviation SMS objectives.
Program Development & Compliance Enactment:
- Authors and maintains the program’s written flight and ground operating procedures to align directly with DCMA 8210.1D requirements.
- Uses the standard Attachment 10 checklist to ensure each required safety procedure is explicitly documented or marked "N/A".
- Develops and updates the localized Safety Management System (SMS) framework to collect risk data and handle non-compliance.
Hazard Identification & Risk Mitigation
- Continuously monitors the airfield, hangars, and flight lines for unsafe conditions, Tool Control compliance, and Foreign Object Debris (FOD) mitigation.
- Develops specialized safety boundaries and risk mitigations for inherently dangerous tasks.
- Manages physical aircraft movement profiles, tie-down requirements, and hangar evacuations during emergencies.
Government Liaison & Reporting
- Serves as a point of contact for the Government Flight Representative (GFR) and the broader Aviation Program Team (APT) regarding safety-related data.
- Assists with responses to Corrective Action Requests (CARs) issued internally, or by DCMA, proving that systemic issues have been resolved within the mandated 30-day window.
Safety Training & Culture Leadership
- Funnels military aviation safety publications and company mishap data into actionable safety briefings for ground crews and aircrew.
- Monitors the flight line environment to ensure that external production pressures or strict schedule milestones do not override safe maintenance practices or flight criteria.
We offer 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.
Basic Qualifications (Principal):
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 3 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 1 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) 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
Must have a background in aviation (flight or ground) operations dealing with aircraft
Must have experience with DCMA 8210
Must have experience with any of the following: Aviation Safety, Aviation Safety Management System, and/or Aviation Safety Official.
Must have the ability to be proactive and collaborative with ability to speak directly to peers and superiors to address safety related issues.
Must have experience in developing training material and/or instructing formal courses.
Basic Qualifications (Senior Principal):
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) 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
Must have a background in aviation (flight or ground) operations dealing with aircraft
Must have experience with DCMA 8210
Must have experience with any of the following: Aviation Safety, Aviation Safety Management System, and/or Aviation Safety Official.
Must have the ability to be proactive and collaborative with ability to speak directly to peers and superiors to address safety related issues.
Must have experience in developing training material and/or instructing formal courses.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with SM-0001/14 CFR part 5/ICAO Annex 19
- Familiarity with Air Force processes for mishap prevention, notification, investigation, and reporting (DoDI 6055.07, AFI 91-202, AFMAN 91-223)
- Leadership experience; successful performance leading through influence more than direct authority.
- Active Top Secret clearance
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00
Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00
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.
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.
