Sentinel - Associate / Systems Engineer - MS&A - 19233* at Northrop Grumman
Roy, UT
$65,800–$118,900from the description
Jul 28, 2026
Roy, UT
Jul 29, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A systems/modeling and simulation engineering role on Northrop Grumman's Sentinel Payloads team in Roy, Utah, supporting missile defense payload analysis. The work centers on building and validating payload models, generating radar and optical signature analyses, deriving lower-level requirements, and developing discrimination algorithms — spanning both exo- and endo-atmospheric trajectory analysis. Suited to early-career engineers with a STEM background and an active Secret clearance.
Junior level · 1+ years · Ogden-Clearfield, UT · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $105,715 (middle half $86,307–$126,768). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 29, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
This posting covers two levels simultaneously: Associate Systems Engineer (T01, 0–1 year experience) and Systems Engineer (T02, 0–2 years experience). The salary range shown ($65,800–$118,900) spans both levels combined; the T01 range is $65,800–$98,800 and the T02 range is $79,300–$118,900.
The SOC classification is genuinely ambiguous. The role is framed as Systems Engineering but the day-to-day work — building physics-based payload models, coding simulations in Python/MATLAB/C++, generating radar/optical signatures, and developing discrimination algorithms — most closely resembles modeling and simulation or data science work rather than a standard IT occupation. 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is used as the best available fit; 15-2051 (Data Scientists) is a plausible alternative given the modeling, algorithm development, and machine learning elements.
Coding experience (Python, MATLAB, C++) is listed as a required qualification but framed as 'experience or coursework,' meaning academic exposure satisfies the gate. The three languages are presented as interchangeable alternatives ('Python, Matlab, C++, etc.'), so they are captured as a single requirement with alternatives.
An active Secret clearance is a hard gate at time of application. A Top Secret clearance is listed under Preferred Qualifications and is not required.
Special Access Program (SAP) approval is required but must only be obtainable within a reasonable period — it is not required at time of application.
The experience floor used for the overall years minimum is 1 year (the T01 minimum with a bachelor's degree); candidates with a master's degree may qualify with 0 years at either level.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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