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Principal/Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist

Linthicum Heights, MD

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE TYPE: A US Government security clearance per customer's requirements.TRAVEL: 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.Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking candidates for the position of Experimental Physicist with a robust scientific background that has an interest in data acquisition and analysis on superconducting digital electronics. The ideal candidate has experience with running complex experiments and writing custom software to control a variety of equipment such as RF/DC sources and arbitrary waveform generators. This position will involve both using existing test resources (hardware and software) and developing new tools to improve test throughput and reliability.
 
This position requires full-time work onsite located at our Advanced Technology Lab (ATL) in Linthicum, Maryland or Annapolis Junction, MD.
 
Your responsibilities:

• Develop and implement test protocols for novel experiments on superconducting devices and electrical systems
• Debug existing software tools and support implementation of new capabilities
• Support the current and future development of test platforms within function, cost and schedule constraints
• Document and implement test requirements and procedures
• Review test plans for accuracy and completeness
• Lead project design and lifecycle in collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Mentorship of early-career engineers and physicists
• Analyze data and report on test results
 
What you need to be successful in the role:

• Interest/excitement in research areas involving superconducting electronics
• Tenacity when diving into problems to follow them through and find the optimal solution
• Presentation and communication skills
• Ability to collaborate in a small group setting (4-7 people) as well as work independently
 
This position may be filled as a Principal Experimental Physicist or Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist.
 
Basic Qualifications for Principal Experimental Physicist:

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) with 5 years of relevant experience; Master's degree in STEM related field with 3 years' of relevant technical experience OR Masters' degree in STEM related field and currently enrolled in a PhD program with a completion date prior to start with 1 year of relevant technical experience OR PhD in STEM related field with 1 year of relevant technical experience.
• Experience working in a lab environment.
• Hands-on experience with common laboratory hardware, such as voltage and current supplies, oscilloscopes, arbitrary waveform generators, or RF sources/analyzers
• Proficiency in basic circuit analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Proficiency in controlling common laboratory instruments through custom software
• Proficiency writing code in MATLAB and/or Python
• Experience in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• This position requires the applicant to be a U.S. Citizen
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance per customer requirements
Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or a STEM related field and 4 plus years of relevant technical experience; OR a Master's Degree and 6 years of relevant technical experience; OR a Bachelor's Degree and 8 plus years of relevant technical experience
• Experience mentoring teams and providing leadership in a lab setting
• Hands-on experience with common laboratory hardware, such as voltage and current supplies, oscilloscopes, arbitrary waveform generators, or RF sources/analyzers
• Proficiency in basic circuit analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Proficiency in controlling common laboratory instruments through custom software
• Proficiency writing code in MATLAB and/or Python
• Experience in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• This position requires the applicant to be a U.S. Citizen
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance per customer requirements
Preferred Qualifications for both Principal AND Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or related field
• Proficiency in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• Experience with low temperature experimental setups
• Leadership experience working on a scientific research team
• Experience working with superconducting electronics
• Experience working with digital signal processing
• Experience writing in a version-controlled, OOP-based codebase in Python or MATLAB
• Active TS/SCI with Poly
Primary Level Salary Range: $127,400.00 - $200,300.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $158,600.00 - $249,400.00The 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.PDN-a015b433-6bd2-4afb-907e-807e9bf71902
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE TYPE: A US Government security clearance per customer's requirements.TRAVEL: 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.Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking candidates for the position of Experimental Physicist with a robust scientific background that has an interest in data acquisition and analysis on superconducting digital electronics. The ideal candidate has experience with running complex experiments and writing custom software to control a variety of equipment such as RF/DC sources and arbitrary waveform generators. This position will involve both using existing test resources (hardware and software) and developing new tools to improve test throughput and reliability.
 
This position requires full-time work onsite located at our Advanced Technology Lab (ATL) in Linthicum, Maryland or Annapolis Junction, MD.
 
Your responsibilities:

• Develop and implement test protocols for novel experiments on superconducting devices and electrical systems
• Debug existing software tools and support implementation of new capabilities
• Support the current and future development of test platforms within function, cost and schedule constraints
• Document and implement test requirements and procedures
• Review test plans for accuracy and completeness
• Lead project design and lifecycle in collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Mentorship of early-career engineers and physicists
• Analyze data and report on test results
 
What you need to be successful in the role:

• Interest/excitement in research areas involving superconducting electronics
• Tenacity when diving into problems to follow them through and find the optimal solution
• Presentation and communication skills
• Ability to collaborate in a small group setting (4-7 people) as well as work independently
 
This position may be filled as a Principal Experimental Physicist or Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist.
 
Basic Qualifications for Principal Experimental Physicist:

• Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) with 5 years of relevant experience; Master's degree in STEM related field with 3 years' of relevant technical experience OR Masters' degree in STEM related field and currently enrolled in a PhD program with a completion date prior to start with 1 year of relevant technical experience OR PhD in STEM related field with 1 year of relevant technical experience.
• Experience working in a lab environment.
• Hands-on experience with common laboratory hardware, such as voltage and current supplies, oscilloscopes, arbitrary waveform generators, or RF sources/analyzers
• Proficiency in basic circuit analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Proficiency in controlling common laboratory instruments through custom software
• Proficiency writing code in MATLAB and/or Python
• Experience in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• This position requires the applicant to be a U.S. Citizen
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance per customer requirements
Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or a STEM related field and 4 plus years of relevant technical experience; OR a Master's Degree and 6 years of relevant technical experience; OR a Bachelor's Degree and 8 plus years of relevant technical experience
• Experience mentoring teams and providing leadership in a lab setting
• Hands-on experience with common laboratory hardware, such as voltage and current supplies, oscilloscopes, arbitrary waveform generators, or RF sources/analyzers
• Proficiency in basic circuit analysis and troubleshooting skills
• Proficiency in controlling common laboratory instruments through custom software
• Proficiency writing code in MATLAB and/or Python
• Experience in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• This position requires the applicant to be a U.S. Citizen
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance per customer requirements
Preferred Qualifications for both Principal AND Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist:

• PhD in experimental physics, electrical engineering, or related field
• Proficiency in statistical and/or model-based analysis
• Experience with low temperature experimental setups
• Leadership experience working on a scientific research team
• Experience working with superconducting electronics
• Experience working with digital signal processing
• Experience writing in a version-controlled, OOP-based codebase in Python or MATLAB
• Active TS/SCI with Poly
Primary Level Salary Range: $127,400.00 - $200,300.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $158,600.00 - $249,400.00The 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.PDN-a015b433-6bd2-4afb-907e-807e9bf71902

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip out customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our nearly 100,000 employees contribute to launching the technology of tomorrow, today.

© 2025 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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Principal/Sr. Principal Experimental Physicist
Northrop Grumman
Linthicum Heights, MD
Oct 11, 2025
$127,400 - $200,300 a year
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