MBSE Systems Engineer Architect (3/4)
Northrop Grumman· startup· Defense· Sep 22, 2026 · 1mo ago
United States-California-San Diego · United States-California-El Segundo
In office
Full-time
Senior
$165K–$215K est.
5+ years exp
Job description
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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.
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a MBSE Systems Architect Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Research and Advanced Development (RAD) to support a next-generation campaign effort. This role is located in Rancho Bernardo, CA or El Segundo, CA .
In this role, you will see success operating as a highly capable engineer who thrives on hard technical problems, works effectively in ambiguity, and brings the initiative, rigor, and persistence needed to move advanced concepts into structured, model-based solutions.
You will apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to define architecture, mission concepts, system behaviors, interfaces, and traceable technical baselines for advanced aerospace and defense applications. Success in this role comes from a strong self-starter with hands-on experience in SysML v2 and UAF, excellent systems thinking, and a reputation for producing high-value technical work with minimal oversight.
Key Responsibilities:
• Develop and maintain MBSE architecture products for advanced concept and campaign efforts.
• Apply SysML v2 and UAF to capture system structure, behavior, interfaces, and traceability.
• Translate mission needs and technical objectives into clear, model-based architecture artifacts.
• Support concept exploration, trade studies, and technical decision-making for next-generation capabilities.
• Decompose complex problems into actionable engineering products and modeling tasks.
• Partner with systems, software, hardware, and mission teams to align models to evolving technical direction.
• Contribute to modeling methods, architecture standards, and digital engineering practices.
• Clearly communicate technical insights, assumptions, risks, and recommendations to engineering teams and leadership.
This role can be filled at either the Principal or Senior Principal Level based on the qualifications below.
Basic Qualifications:
At a Principal Level (3):
• Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 5 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 3 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 1 year of relevant military / professional / academic experience
At a Senior Principal Level (4)
• Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 4 years of relevant military / professional experience
And at Both Levels:
• Must have experience applying MBSE on complex aerospace, defense, or advanced technology efforts.
• Must have experience with SysML v2 and UAF.
• Must have experience in system architecture, requirements development, interface analysis, and technical decomposition.
• Must have an active US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently 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.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Advanced degree in Systems Engineering or related technical field.
• Experience in research, advanced development, campaign, or early-stage concept work.
• Demonstrated ability to solve difficult technical problems with creativity, discipline, and urgency.
• Experience contributing across cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Familiarity with digital engineering environments and model-based architecture methods.
Valuable Skills:
• High-accountability engineers who take ownership and follow through
• Strong individual contributors who can create clarity where little exists
• Technically sharp, hardworking team members who embrace challenge
• Fast learners with sound engineering judgment
• Low-ego partners who raise the quality and pace of the team
• Mission-focused contributors who consistently deliver strong results
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00
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.
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 northropgrumman.com. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
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