Sr. Principal Digital Engineer

Job Title

Sr. Principal Digital Engineer

Role Summary

Senior engineering role in the Software and Digital (SWDT) Technologies Organization responsible for FPGA/firmware design, verification, simulation and lab testing to support enterprise digital transformation for national defense systems. The position may be based in Baltimore, MD or Morrisville, NC and supports system integration and on-site test activities.

Experience Level

Senior - requires substantial prior experience. The posting specifies 7+ years of related experience in addition to required technical experience counts below.

Responsibilities

Deliver digital design and verification for firmware and programmable logic, lead lab testing, and support integration into system-level products.

• Design, verify, simulate and test FPGA-based digital designs.
• Develop and execute test plans; validate functionality, performance and security requirements.
• Use modeling and simulation tools to accelerate firmware development and testing.
• Perform lab tests using oscilloscopes, signal generators, analyzers and FPGA debug tools; analyze test data.
• Create engineering change orders and conduct analyses (power utilization, signal integrity, etc.).
• Manage design constraints (timing, power, I/O) and perform static timing analysis to achieve timing closure.
• Support systems integration and lead on-site testing of digital designs.
• Follow coding standards, revision control and peer review practices; collaborate across teams to address system-level interdependencies.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, security and eligibility requirements, plus relevant work expectations.

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Secret clearance required to start and must be maintainable for continued employment.
• Minimum 5 years experience programming in VHDL.
• Minimum 5 years experience with schematic and programmable-logic toolchains (e.g., AMD/Xilinx Vivado, Intel/Altera Quartus).
• Minimum 5 years firmware development experience: specification, design, implementation, integration, debug and maintenance.
• Proven ability to work independently and take initiative while contributing to team objectives.
• Willingness to travel approximately 10% of the time.
• Experience with lab/testing environments and supporting systems integration is expected.
• Relocation assistance: none available for this posting.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering (BSCE), Electrical Engineering (BSEE) or a related STEM field is specified (posting pairs the Bachelor's requirement with ~7 years related experience). A Master's degree in Computer or Electrical Engineering or related STEM is listed as preferred.

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.