Staff Pilot Test

Relocation assistance may be available. A Secret clearance is required to start. Travel is required, up to 25% of the time. This position is located 100% on-site at Edwards AFB, CA.

About the role

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. 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. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman’s Test and Evaluation (T&E) organization is seeking a Staff Test Pilot for developmental test of military aircraft. The candidate may conduct demonstration flights with customers, government officials, or other personnel to exhibit vehicle performance, flying qualities, and system capabilities. Selected candidate must successfully complete initial and recurrent training and qualifications as a basis for continued employment.

Responsibilities

• Provides test pilot expertise to assigned programs and technology/research efforts to ensure man-machine interface issues and requirements are identified for new or modified aircraft designs.
• Plan, develop, and execute test flights on aircraft to verify airworthiness and performance capability; validate and verify compliance with specifications and to determine operational effectiveness and/or suitability.
• Partners with Flight Ops Manager and Engineering team to ensure test team is conducting safe and effective ground and flight test operations.
• Collaborates with customer pilots.
• Engage with program IPTs and REs to ensure air vehicle and ground station designs/modifications are effective and suitable.
• Provides test pilot inputs at FRR, TRRs, and SRBs ensuring safe conduct of all NGAS flight test missions.
• Ensures best practices and lessons learned are shared with other program pilots.
• Provides engineering test pilot expertise and safety guidance to flight test engineers for design definition, simulator flights, test planning, flight test techniques, test conduct, test reporting, and proposal preparation.
• Provide test pilot inputs to System Safety to ensure safe conduct of flight test missions.
• Provides pilot inputs into development of preliminary flight manuals and aircrew checklists.
• Maintain proficiencies and currencies.
• Promotes active involvement in flight test professional societies and industry forums; fully supports Test Communities of Practice (CoPs) and Flight Test Safety Summit.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree plus 12 years of related experience OR Master’s plus 10 years of related experience OR PhD plus 9 years of related experience.
• Must be willing to obtain and maintain the appropriate medical clearance(s), as defined per the customer’s contracting requirements, for the duration of employment.
• Must be willing to obtain and maintain all training qualifications, as needed per the customer’s contracting requirements, for the duration of employment.
• Must have an active US Government Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
• FAA commercial Multi-Engine instrument-rated pilot.
• Minimum of 1,500 hours of flight experience as Pilot in Command.
• Current FAA Class II Medical or higher.
• Military Test Pilot School (TPS) Graduate.
• Experience in flight testing, with the ability to work with engineering to develop solutions to integration issues, and to bridge between the customer users and Northrop Grumman designers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Current, proficient, and qualified in military aircraft.
• Current DoD Top Secret clearance.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Excellent communications skills, including the ability to brief test results to executive leadership.

Pay

Primary level salary range: $214,200.00 - $321,200.00. 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.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.