Senior Principal Digital Engineer

Job Title

Senior Principal Digital Engineer

Role Summary

Lead the digital design and verification of safety-critical avionics and navigation hardware for a defense program. Work across engineering, manufacturing, and program leadership to integrate requirements, model-based engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices into the product lifecycle.

Experience Level

Senior-level. This role provides technical leadership and requires substantial hands-on digital design and verification experience; see Education Requirements for the employer's degree/experience equivalencies.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include technical design, verification, and integration of complex digital systems and supporting the transition to production.

• Design and verify digital systems for safety-critical applications.
• Lead FPGA/SOC/ASIC implementation activities (VHDL/Verilog, synthesis, timing closure).
• Define and integrate hardware requirements; develop conceptual and detailed designs.
• Create verification strategies, test plans, and support V&V and hardware-in-loop testing.
• Collaborate with program leads, senior scientists, systems engineering, and manufacturing throughout the lifecycle.
• Advance and apply model-based engineering, DevSecOps, and Agile practices to improve delivery and automation.
• Support production transition, sustainment, and program-level cost and schedule objectives.
• Travel approximately 10% and perform work on classified programs as required.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, security and location requirements are listed below. Preferred items are noted separately.

• Must-have: Proven experience in high-speed digital design and verification.
• Must-have: Hands-on FPGA/SOC/ASIC implementation experience (VHDL/Verilog, synthesis, timing closure).
• Must-have: Experience with hardware design processes: requirements definition, detailed design, verification, and production transition.
• Must-have: Active U.S. Government Secret clearance.
• Must-have: U.S. Citizenship.
• Must-have: Ability to work onsite full-time in Woodland Hills, CA.
• Nice-to-have: V&V technologies (SystemVerilog, UVM, hardware-in-loop testing).
• Nice-to-have: Knowledge of computer architecture (bus standards, interrupts, memory).
• Nice-to-have: Model-based engineering experience (MATLAB/Simulink, fixed vs. floating point).
• Nice-to-have: Experience with sensors and digital signal processing; experience with safety-critical standards (e.g., DO-254).
• Nice-to-have: Strong communication, team-building and facilitation skills.

Education Requirements

Degree and experience equivalencies required by the employer: Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 8 years relevant experience; Master’s degree in a STEM field with 6 years relevant experience; PhD in a STEM field with 4 years relevant experience. Fields of study: STEM disciplines. Preferred certification: Cost Account Management (CAM) certification/experience.

About the Company

Company: Northrop Grumman

Headquarters: Falls Church, Virginia, United States

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company that provides innovative solutions in mission systems, electronics, and software. With a legacy of significant advancements in technology, we empower employees to tackle complex challenges and create revolutionary systems that enhance global security. Our diverse teams focus on engineering innovation and product development, delivering solutions that support military and civilian customers worldwide.