Staff Digital Engineer

Job Title

Staff Digital Engineer

Role Summary

Staff Digital Engineer on the Digital Technologies team within Northrop Grumman Mission Systems. Responsible for architecting and providing technical oversight for digital subsystems, coordinating across engineering disciplines, and supporting design, integration, and test activities for embedded processors, ASICs, FPGAs and related components.

This is an onsite role in Linthicum, MD supporting defense programs that require security clearance.

Experience Level

Senior (Staff). Experience guidance per employer: Bachelor's +12 years, Master's +10 years, PhD +8 years; minimum 10 years developing digital subsystems and 8 years in leadership roles.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include system architecture, technical leadership, and cross-discipline coordination.

• Engage with management, customers, and suppliers to define objectives and decompose system-level requirements into digital subsystems.
• Architect digital subsystems and allocate functionality to single-board computers, SoCs, ASICs, FPGAs and mixed-signal components.
• Model and architect DSP algorithms and systems targeting embedded processors, ASICs and FPGAs; implement algorithms in MATLAB, Python, or similar.
• Provide technical direction and oversight to internal and external design teams; mentor engineers of all levels.
• Create subsystem requirement specifications and develop integration and test plans.
• Collaborate with Systems, Software, RF, Security, and Platform architects to define overall architecture.
• Perform trade studies to optimize SWaP, dynamic range, latency, throughput, and other system performance metrics.
• Support program capture and work with program management to estimate development cost, risk, and schedule.

Requirements

Must-have qualifications and clearances:

• Active Secret clearance required to start; must be able to obtain and maintain Special Program Access (SAP).
• Minimum 10 years developing digital subsystems and 8 years in leadership capacity.
• Experience architecting DSP systems and implementing algorithms; proficiency with MATLAB or Python.
• Experience with system-level architecture, decomposition, and specifying subsystem requirements.
• Experience directing or collaborating with teams developing ASICs, FPGAs, SoCs, or embedded processors.
• Ability to perform trade studies addressing size, weight, power, latency, and throughput.
• Willingness to travel up to 10%.

Nice-to-have:

• Active Top Secret clearance.
• Experience in defense/aerospace product design and development; electronic subsystems and circuit board experience for aerospace/defense.
• Domain knowledge in Radar, Communications, Digital Receivers, Direct Digital Waveform Generation, Software Defined Radio, or embedded networking.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related STEM field with 12 years of relevant professional experience; or a Master's degree with 10 years of related experience; or a PhD with 8 years of related experience. The employer indicates degree-plus-experience equivalencies as shown.

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.