Staff Test Engineer – Lab Manager Lead

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top 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 Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security.  Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter.  Come be a part of our mission!

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems' Baltimore and Partnered Sites (BaPs) division is seeking a Staff Engineer Test – Lab Manager Lead to join the Tactical Fighters Business Unit. The Lab Manager Lead will provide technical and operational oversight of a team of lab managers supporting multiple integration and test laboratories, and will serve as a primary liaison between the program and the broader lab‑management community.

The candidate should have strong knowledge in integration and test, troubleshooting, manufacturing, SAP, calibration, procurement, and laboratory operations. This position is responsible for coordinating with all engineering disciplines and operations teams to meet program integration test schedules and budget, while ensuring laboratories are configured, maintained, and operated safely and efficiently through effective leadership of the lab managers.

The Lab Manager Lead will be accountable for consolidating lab status, risks, and action items across multiple labs and for tracking progress and issues using Jira and other Atlassian tools. The ideal candidate will have strong teambuilding skills and exhibit comprehensive verbal and written communication/presentation skills.

This position is based in Baltimore, MD, requires being onsite, and does not support remote or hybrid work.

What You’ll get to Do:

• Provide leadership and day‑to‑day oversight for a team of lab managers, including setting priorities, aligning resources, mentoring staff, and promoting best practices for lab operations, safety, and configuration management.
• Lead the architecture, design, build‑out, and ongoing maintenance strategy for the laboratory infrastructure that enables both hardware and software engineering activities, ensuring scalability, reliability, and compliance with system‑level requirements. Direct and coordinate execution of these activities through the lab managers.
• Own the end‑to‑end engineering bench lifecycle sustainment across multiple labs at the program level, ensuring lab managers are effectively procuring, installing, qualifying, and retiring bench equipment while maintaining physical integrity, safety, and alignment with system architecture road‑maps.
• Provide oversight of documentation for test‑fixture setups, as‑built drawings, and configuration changes to workspaces, and ensure lab managers are properly tracking all program‑, corporate‑, and customer‑owned property through Property Management.
• Provide oversight of equipment calibrations and configuration of test equipment for bench operations, ensuring lab managers maintain calibration schedules, execute configurations, and document all configuration changes across the supported labs.
• Provide leadership for logistics‑related activities, ensuring lab managers coordinate procurement, receipt, verification, storage, and distribution of tooling, consumables, and capital assets, and maintain inventory levels and hardware trackers for PME, GFE/BFE, and other assets.
• Coordinate escort and access with the Security team for equipment and personnel requiring special handling or secure areas, and maintain secure storage safes in accordance with program and corporate requirements.
• Direct and align day‑to‑day lab activities across the lab‑management team with Program Management, Systems, SEIT, I&T/IPT, Software, and TDE leadership; conduct facilities surveys and communicate aggregated lab status, utility, and growth needs to Facilities Engineering.
• Establish and maintain consistent, program‑level views of lab readiness, utilization, issues, and risks; aggregate status from individual lab managers and present concise updates and recommendations to program and functional leadership.
• Utilize Jira and other Atlassian tools to plan, track, and report lab‑related tasks, defects, configuration changes, and action items, and ensure lab managers and stakeholders are using these tools consistently to maintain accurate and timely status.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce standard operating procedures for lab operations, including configuration control, access control, equipment handling, and incident reporting, and drive adherence across the lab‑management team.
• Act as safety liaison and enforce all EHSFP directives; champion continuous improvement in lab safety culture and compliance.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 12 years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 10 years of relevant experience; OR PhD in a STEM discipline and 8 years of relevant experience; an additional 4 years of relevant experience in lieu of a STEM degree (i.e., 16 years of relevant experience without a degree).
• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance or higher and Special Access Program (SAP) clearance is required.
• Minimum 8 years of radar‑system support and development, including hands‑on work with Common Radar Module (CRM) standard, receiver/exciter, processor, ground/airborne radars, manufacturing, operations, and systems engineering.
• Proven ability to collaborate with business units and divisions and communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Demonstrated experience in integration and test environments, including troubleshooting complex systems, working across multiple engineering disciplines, and supporting manufacturing and operations.
• Experience with laboratory operations including equipment installation, calibration, configuration management, and property/inventory control.
• Ability to work full-time onsite in Baltimore

Preferred Qualifications

• 8+ years of systems‑engineering experience focused on laboratory operations, test‑equipment management, and logistics coordination.
• Prior experience leading or supervising lab managers, technicians, or cross‑functional teams responsible for multiple integration or test labs.
• Expertise in integration, test, reliability, and endurance testing of radar systems.
• Direct experience coordinating procurement, receipt, storage, and distribution of tooling, consumables, and capital equipment, with accountability for results through a team.
• Experience using Jira and other Atlassian tools to manage tasks, track defects, maintain action‑item lists, and provide status reporting for engineering or lab operations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of producing clear shipping plans, inventory reports, facility‑status briefs, and program‑level lab readiness reports.
• Demonstrated ability to work with multiple engineering specialties, cross‑functional teams, and external suppliers, and to translate program requirements into clear, actionable work for lab managers and support staff.

This position is contingent upon successful transfer of Top Secret Clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.

Primary Level Salary Range: $153,600.00 - $230,400.00

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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.