Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: SecretTRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the TimeAt 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.

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems in air and space that impact people’s lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our work preserves freedom, democracy, and advances human discovery and our understanding of the universe. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future and have a lot of 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.

The Flight Systems Futures operating unit within Strategic Deterrent Systems is seeking an Aerothermal Lead that is highly motivated to join a team at the forefront of next-generation hypersonic capabilities. Our team focuses on the design, development, and demonstration of hypersonic re-entry vehicles and advanced payloads, with an emphasis on rapid development and prototyping aligned to specific customer missions. We operate in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment where innovative concepts are matured quickly into credible, testable solutions that address our nation’s most demanding strategic deterrence needs.

This role will be the aerothermal lead on one of our upcoming hypersonic programs located in Roy, Utah This role may offer a competitive relocation assistance package. This position is contingent upon award

What you will get to do

• Develop and maintain the aeroheating and thermal environment definition for the system and key subsystems (TPS, structures, avionics, sensors).

• Generate heating maps, thermal loads, and margin assessments across the flight envelope (boost, cruise, reentry, etc.).

• Define worst-case and design-to conditions (e.g., hot/cold cases, off-nominal trajectories, abort scenarios).

• Plan and execute CFD and aerothermal analysis campaigns for different configurations and flight regimes.

• Lead technical trades (e.g., nose shape, leading edge concepts, material selections, TPS architectures) using aerothermal results.

• Evaluate design changes and configuration updates for impact on heating, thermal margins, and performance.

• Work closely with TPS and structural teams to translate aeroheating predictions into design loads and requirements.

• Provide aerothermal input to systems engineering for requirements allocation, verification approaches, and margin policy.

• Support GNC and vehicle performance teams with aerothermal forces/torques or constraints where relevant (e.g., trim, controllability limits due to heating).

Position Benefits:

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for our robust benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

• 401k

• Educational Assistance

• Life Insurance

• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions

• Paid Time Off

• Health & Wellness Resources

• Employee Discounts

This positions standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

You Will Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with 12 years of experience; or Master's degree with 10 years of experience; or PhD with 8 years of experience.

• US Citizenship with Active DoD Secret clearance with a reinvestigation date occurring in the last 6 years.

• Ability to obtain Top Secret (TS) clearance.

• 5+ years of relevant experience in aerothermodynamics, thermal analysis, or high-speed aerodynamics (hypersonics strongly preferred).

• Hands-on experience with CFD tools for high-speed flow (e.g., ANSYS Fluent/CFX, STAR-CCM+, US3D, CFD++ or similar).

• Experience performing coupled aeroheating and thermal protection system (TPS) analyses for high-speed or reentry vehicles.

• Demonstrated ability to develop, execute, and document analysis plans (loads/thermal environments, heating predictions, thermal margins).

• Proficiency in at least one scripting or analysis language (e.g., Python, MATLAB, Fortran, C/C++) for data processing and tool automation.

• Experience leading technical trades and presenting results to internal stakeholders (design, structures, systems engineering).

• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to produce clear technical documentation and present to senior leadership and customers.

These Qualifications Are Nice To Have:

• Direct experience on hypersonic vehicle programs (boost-glide, cruise missiles, reentry vehicles, or similar).

• Experience defining and validating aeroheating environments for system- and subsystem-level requirements (e.g., TPS, structures, GNC, sensors).

• Background in high-temperature materials, TPS design, or thermal-structural interaction for high-speed flight.

• Experience with wind tunnel testing, flight test data analysis, or correlation of CFD/analysis results to test data.

• Familiarity with non-equilibrium chemistry, high-enthalpy flow modeling, and radiation/ablation modeling for hypersonic applications.

• Experience providing technical leadership to small analysis teams, including mentoring junior engineers and coordinating tasking.

• Familiarity with systems engineering practices (requirements development, verification/validation, risk management, configuration control).

• Experience working with suppliers or partners on aerothermal/TPS design and analysis.

• Experience with CFD++, US3D, or FUN3D.

• Experience with Missile Datcom.

• Experience with Aeroheating and Thermal Analysis Code (ATAC).

• Experience with Pointwise.

• Experience with Tecplot or Paraview.

• Experience with STABL3D or LASTRAC.

• Experience with SPARTA or DAC97.

• Experience with CEA, ACE, or Chemics.

• Experience with CMA, FIAT, or similar.

• Experience developing meshes for fluid analysis.

• Experience post processing fluid analysis.

• Experience with Boundary Layer Transition (BLT).

Primary Level Salary Range: $152,900.00 - $229,300.00The 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.