Physicist - Level 3 - East Hartford

Northrop Grumman · East Hartford · $114,000–$171,000 (stated in the posting)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: Top SecretTRAVEL: 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.

Thermal, Optical, and Power Systems (TOPS), an operating unit within the Northrop Grumman Space Systems (NGSP) Division, has an exciting opportunity for a Physicist - Level 3 to support research and development activities in East Hartford, CT.

TOPS designs and manufactures mission critical optical, photonic, and RF photonic solutions. We serve markets worldwide including defense (ISR, directed energy, laser communications), industrial (semiconductor) and scientific (astronomy). TOPS has a long heritage of unique hardware solutions, and we are respected as innovators in our customer communities.

Overview

Reporting to the Optical and R&D Group Manager, the Principal Physicist will work with program managers and engineers to develop microwave and photonic solutions that meet specific program requirements and fulfill the key system functions. Systems may include RF, optical, mechanical, electrical, and software components. Co-design of hardware and algorithms to create novel approaches to problems is a group specialty. Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment is essential.

This position provides a broad, exciting opportunity in a high-growth, strategically important business for NGSP. We are seeking a team member with exceptional people skills, one who is valued by employees and customers alike. Our ideal candidate can rapidly come up to speed in new technology areas and effectively communicate their findings to team members and customers. They are comfortable considering many approaches to a problem, can effectively manage trade studies between them, and making decisions amongst the options with the speed required to meet deadlines.

This position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) as well as obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding prior to start date.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will be an individual contributor as a Physicist on programs that have significant microwave or RF photonic aspects. You will work within interdisciplinary teams to develop novel and innovative solutions to advanced technical problems, to include:

Lead studies of RF/Photonics applications and derive candidate architectures for further “deep-dive” analysis into link budgets, environmental effects, and performance expectations
Proactively research the state-of-art in RF applications, through literature studies, conference attendance, and discussion with other experts. Review and analyze business capture opportunities and participate in or lead proposal capture efforts
Develop algorithms for the mission that make the best use of the chosen architecture, including model-based and AI/ML approaches
Conduct trade studies to determine the optimal design and algorithm from the analyzed possibilities
Oversee the fabrication and packaging of the chosen design by third-party providers
Engage with customers, and clearly communicate the chosen approach and the reasons for the decision
Work closely with and collaborate with the Special Programs Director, Program Managers and other technical personnel on proposals and responses to customer technical inquiries
Travel regularly to customer locations to support design and program reviews

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 5+ years’ experience in microwave circuit or RF photonic circuit design, analysis, and fabrication or 3+ years experience with a Master’s degree.
Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) clearance is a requirement for employment. Note that a Counterintelligence (CI) polygraph will be required.
Familiarity with the technologies employing microwave circuits, and how component choices drive system performance
Experience with a general-purpose data processing environment (eg MATLAB or numerical Python)
Ability to break high-level requirements into constraints on a particular design
Strong critical thinking and logical reasoning skills and the ability to apply them to solve issues and predict potential technical risks
Ability to travel 10 – 20% of the time

Preferred Qualifications:

8+ years’ experience in microwave circuit or RF photonic circuit design, analysis, and fabrication
Experience with COMSOL or other multiphysics simulation software
Proven performance on low-TRL projects
Familiarity with RF products in the space environment
Past experience with radar or electronic warfare systems
Active TS/SCI

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

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Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00The 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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