Missile Operations Research Engineer Level 5 (AHT)

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Northridge
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE TYPE: 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 Advanced Weapons Business Unit is currently seeking a Missile Operations Research Engineer 5 for our Advanced Programs Software and Operational Analysis team in Northridge, CA. The Missile Operations Research Engineer will be responsible for developing models, performing data analysis, communicating findings to internal and external stakeholders, and training and mentoring junior analysts in the same skill sets. This position is required to be full-time, on-site in the Northridge, CA location. No remote/telework arrangement is available for this position. Applicants must have an active US Government DoD Secret security clearance with ability to get cleared for SAP . Our work influences the investment decisions of our senior leadership and customer program offices. The Operations Research discipline is a blend of many other fields (e.g. Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, etc.) and frequently collaborates across functional disciplines. The Operations Research team is responsible for evaluating the merit of new technologies and military operations in future conflicts. In this role, you will be a member of a team that performs the following tasks: simulation tool and infrastructure development, model development, scenario creation, designing focused vignette threads, and performing analysis. The analysis includes a wide variety of system types and spans multiple domains (friendly and adversary; ground, maritime, air and space). You will work with technical teams and leadership to develop standalone and/or distributed simulation tools/infrastructure and to perform analysis at the engagement, mission, and/or campaign levels. Duties and Responsibilities may include: Develop and apply advanced software and systems methods that support the investigation, analysis and solution of complex and advanced technical problems. Develop and use tools that support the visualization of the battlespace at a mission or engagement level Use, develop, and modify tools to support data analysis of simulation or flight test results Model operational environments, performs trade studies via computer simulation, and recommends alternative architectures Develop software to model behavior of systems in real-time and constructive simulations Develop, integrate, and use advanced graphical user interfaces and visualization tools Perform mission simulation using government or industry standard tools to determine mission effectiveness Perform engagement simulation using standard tools, MATLAB, Simulink and others. Perform modeling and simulation studies that optimize mission performance for weapon systems across the air, land, sea, space and cyber domains Perform modeling, simulation, and analysis tasks assessing system survivability, system effectiveness, and overall system performance in engagement / mission-level scenarios. Develop performance models and algorithms, threat models and command and control models for new and/or existing system simulation frameworks. Solicit input from various stakeholders, synthesize data, and communicate results to various levels of leadership within the organization Participate in Agile engineering project frameworks Statements of Work (SOWs) and Statements of Objectives (SOOs) Basic Qualifications for a Missile Operations Research Engineer 5: BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, or Physics with 12 years modeling, simulation, and analysis of Aerospace Systems, Systems Analysis, and Design, or MS with 9 years of the same experience or PhD. with 6 years of the prior mentioned experience Experience as an AFSIM developer/analyst, including making and validating movers, creating observers and post-processors, and performing large Design of Experiments (DoE) studies Experience creating compelling OV-1s, data visualization, and other briefing materials to explain simulation techniques, assumptions, and insights to a variety of audiences Experience executing technology development and EMD contracts with DoD customers Experience leading Operations Research studies, including identifying Technical Performance Metrics (TPMs) and developing study plans from Statements of Work (SOWs) and Statements of Objectives (SOOs) Active US Government DoD Secret security clearance with ability to get cleared for SAP Preferred Qualifications: Comfortable with high level programming languages such as C/C++. Strong software development principles with the ability to manage computer resources for data throughput and distributed systems. Experience developing and using analysis tools such as MATLAB, Python, VBA, or similar tools Comfortable developing in multiple operating systems as well as integrating systems across OS boundaries. (Windows/Linux) Strong debugging skills, ability to use common debuggers, compilers and command line execution. Ability to develop shell scripts for program execution Knowledge of and experience with software engineering development lifecycle processes Experience with version control tools (Bitbucket, GitHub, or Gitlab, etc.) Experience integrating custom plug-ins to AFSIM Experience with working with and programming distributed simulation protocols such as DIS or HLA Experience performing modeling, simulation, and analysis tasks assessing system survivability, system effectiveness, and overall system performance in engagement / mission-level scenarios. Knowledge of RF Threat Modeling, of Electronic Attack techniques and modeling, guided missile design Knowledge of any of the following simulation frameworks: AFSIM, Suppressor, Brawler, JWS, AJEM, ESAMS, NGTS, EADSIM, TACZAAM, ITASE Familiarity with Agile, MBSE, and / or system architecture frameworks Effective project management skills and good communication techniques Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, excellent communications skills, including the ability to present and brief technical data to all levels of leadership within the organization and U.S. Government Proposal development, writing or execution experience LI-MA1 Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Rancho Palos Verdes , Missile Operations Research Engineer Level 5 (AHT), Engineering , Northridge, California