Systems Engineer – EO/IR at Northrop Grumman
Dulles, VA
$114,000–$213,400from the description
Jul 24, 2026
Dulles, VA
Jul 25, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A systems engineering role focused on electro-optical and laser systems within a space-sector program. Day-to-day work involves developing and analyzing EO/laser requirements, modeling sensor performance, managing subcontractors through design and test phases, and translating mission needs into hardware and software specifications. Suited to engineers with hands-on experience in EOIR sensor design and performance analysis who hold an active TS/SCI clearance.
Senior level · 5+ years · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · Bachelor's required · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
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
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $160,085 (middle half $128,934–$179,584). 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 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
This role is primarily a Systems Engineering position focused on Electro-Optical (EO) / Laser Systems — not a software or IT occupation. No SOC code in the permitted list cleanly fits; 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is used as the closest available code, though this is a hardware/systems engineering role that would more naturally fall under 17-2199 (Engineers, All Other) or 17-2112 (Industrial Engineers), which are outside the permitted enum. Confidence is Low as a result.
The posting covers two levels: Level 3 (Principal, 5+ years with a Bachelor's or 3+ with a Master's or 1+ with a PhD) and Level 4 (Sr. Principal, 8+ years with a Bachelor's or 6+ with a Master's or 4+ with a PhD). The minimum qualifying experience (5 years, Level 3) is used for the overall years minimum.
Salary ranges are presented separately: $114,000–$171,000 for Level 3 and $142,200–$213,400 for Level 4. The pay band fields reflect the combined floor and ceiling across both levels.
An active TS/SCI clearance is required at time of application; the ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) approval is also required.
Skills listed under 'Preferred Qualifications' (LiDAR, free-space optics, optical metrology, laser communications, airborne/space platform experience, mentoring) are marked as preferred. The core EO/IR, laser systems, EOIR sensor design, systems engineering, and requirements analysis skills appear in the Basic Qualifications for both levels and are marked as required.
The role is on-site in Dulles, VA (within the Washington DC metro CBSA) with a 9/80 schedule and 25% travel.
Ignored 2 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): EOIR sensor design, systems engineering.
Requires a TS/SCI 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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