Chief Engineer Product Support And Sustainment

Architecture & Engineering (Physical)

Northrop Grumman Corporation · United States

Posted 19 Jul 2026

Advertised as “Chief Engineer Product Support & Sustainment”

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’s Aeronautics Systems sector is looking for a F-35 Chief Engineer of Product Support & Sustainment. This leadership role is located in El Segundo, California with expected travel (25%) to Palmdale, Fort Worth TX, and various customer locations (Eglin, Hill, Nellis AFBs and Lemoore Naval Station). This position will report directly to the F-35 Chief Engineer Sr. Director and will be a critical member of the Chief Engineering Office for the program.

Northrop Grumman supports the F35 Joint Program Office in sustainment, development, production, deployment, and modifications for the F-35 platform for three branches of the DoD and various Foreign Military (FMS) customers.

A successful candidate will have demonstrated knowledge and experience developing and managing the technical baseline associated with sustainment and product support of aircraft systems including Support Equipment development, Depot & Operational Level Task Order development, Fleet Repair Modification, Reliability, Maintainability, Provisioning (Sparing), Testability / Flight Test Operations, and Technician Training development. A strong knowledge in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, mission computing, and communications engineering concepts is also required. In addition, leadership and communication skills are essential to help drive issues to closure and provide clear insight to executive leadership.

Primary Job Responsibilities (but not limited to):

Responsibility / technical authority for the F-35 Product Support & Sustainment Statement of Work

Maintains technical baseline and oversees technical activities within the Program Sustainment IPT

Ensure work is being executed to sound Sector, Division & Program Engineering Processes & Tools

Ensure products are meeting customer requirements and quality expectations within given timelines and affordability targets.

Responsible for configuration management and managing change through a program Class I / II change process.

Overseeing preparation, review, approval, and execution of affordable engineering and/or logistics engineering change proposals (ECPs) (LECPs)

Executing a robust system engineering approach and maximizing reuse across other Air programs support systems to optimize affordability

Basic Qualifications:

Must have a Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) discipline and 14 years of relevant experience, OR a Master’s degree in STEM and 12 years of relevant experience, OR a Ph.D. in STEM and 9 years of relevant experience.

Must have 4 years of previous technical or programmatic management experience

Must have demonstrated basic concept knowledge & experience of aircraft systems including air vehicle, mission computing, communications, and sensors as well as Sustainment disciplines

Must have familiarity with leading technical proposals and the ability to lead the customer through reviews of technical performance.

Must have ability to obtain DoD Secret (or higher) clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

Previous Experience on the F-35 Program Sustaining or Air Vehicle Teams

Previous experience leading Post Production, Product Support activities for a Military Aircraft Platform

Understanding of Design Engineering/Computer-aided Design (CAD) and engineering releases processes utilizing Product Lifecycle Management tools

Prior experience interfacing with prime contractor site leads and field service representatives.

Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving all requirements as either project lead, integrated program team or cost account manager

Strong oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated experience with high value customer presentations, with ability to focus on multiple projects with competing priorities

Ability to collaborate and achieve consensus when dealing with groups from diverse organizations and backgrounds

Knowledge of ITAR, International Licensing Requirements and procedures

Active DoD Secret Clearance with recent investigation (within 6 years)

Primary Level Salary Range: $192,800.00 - $289,200.00

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.

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