Principal / Senior Modeling Simulation & Performance Analysis Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman
Baltimore, MD
$108,800–$203,600from the description
Jul 1, 2026
Baltimore, MD
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
This on-site Baltimore role centers on radar system performance engineering — building and running physics-based simulations on high-performance computing grids, tracing IQ data through radar processing chains, and validating algorithms against both modeled and real-world collections. The work spans trade studies, design-of-experiments analysis, and integration and test activities. It suits STEM-credentialed engineers with hands-on modeling and simulation experience, DoD testing familiarity, and an active Secret clearance.
Senior level · 5+ years · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD · Secret clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 3 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
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.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $138,582 (middle half $107,217–$160,197). 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 (9)
This requisition is dual-leveled: Principal (5+ years with BS, 3+ with MS, 1+ with PhD) and Senior Principal (8+ years with BS, 6+ with MS, 4+ with PhD). The salary ranges span both levels ($108,800–$163,200 for Principal; $135,800–$203,600 for Senior Principal). The overall years minimum reflects the lower bound (Principal level).
The role is 100% on-site in Baltimore, MD — not eligible for remote work.
A current/active DoD Secret clearance is a hard gate for start; the ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) access is also required.
A bachelor's degree is listed as the baseline, but the JD explicitly accepts 4 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree, so no minimum degree is flagged as hard-required.
Python and C/C++ are listed together as a single 'programming languages like…' requirement; they are treated as interchangeable alternatives within that gate rather than two separate hard requirements.
The SOC classification is 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) because the role is a specialized Modeling, Simulation & Analysis / Systems Engineering position — it does not map cleanly to Software Developers (15-1252) or Operations Research Analysts (15-2031), though 15-1252 is noted as a plausible runner-up given the software integration and algorithm development duties.
Preferred qualifications include domain experience in RF/EOIR/Communications simulations, optimal estimation theory (Kalman/Wiener/particle filtering, MLE, MMSE, CRLB), adaptive signal processing (STAP, MVDR, MUSIC), Agile/SAFe, and JMP/R — all listed under the 'Preferred Qualifications' section.
The position is contingent on contract award.
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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