Principal Reliability Maintainability and System Safety (RMSS) Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Mesa
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: None 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 is seeking an experienced Principal (Level 3) Reliability Maintainability and System Safety (RMSS) Engineer to support our Armament Systems business site in Mesa, AZ . Our Mesa facility is home to the Bushmaster® line of Chain Guns®, a premier line of medium caliber gun systems that support our customers’ and warfighters’ missions. Recently expanded, facility includes production and test range areas. About the Role: Northrop Grumman’s medium caliber Bushmaster business is seeking a self-motivated, proactive RMSS Engineer to lead the RMSS function on our programs within the controls group. In this high exposure, fast-paced environment, you will play a critical role in driving system safety, reliability, and maintainability initiatives for medium caliber gun systems. If you thrive on attention to detail, enjoy hands-on technical challenges, and value inter-department collaboration, this is the place for you. RMSS Engineering & Safety Program Responsibilities: Develop and lead comprehensive system reliability, maintainability, and safety program plans that ensure design integrity even in the event of system component failures. Lead system safety engineering, performing analyses including Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), and Safety Assessment Reports (SAR) in accordance with MIL-STD-882E and industry standards. Identify, document, and mitigate hazards to prevent system mishaps and failures. Calculate critical reliability metrics such as Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Mean Time Between Unscheduled Removal (MTBUR). Lead the Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) process to drive continuous improvement in system performance. Scope and generate comprehensive technical reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, including Safety Review Board Reviews and proposal meetings. Collaborate as an integral member of the integrated product team to ensure logical and systematic implementation of safety, reliability, and maintainability requirements throughout the product development lifecycle. Cross-functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement Responsibilities: Demonstrated capability to perform hands-on testing, integration, troubleshooting, and root cause/corrective actions as needed. Work closely with both the product development and controls groups to optimize system reliability, maintainability, and overall performance. Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the engineering department to drive innovation and efficiency. Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in STEM with 3 years of related engineering experience. Minimum of 3 years of directly related RMSS engineering experience. Other Basic Qualifications: Meaningful system design experience. Ensure that teammates succeed in delivering what's most important for the team. Have a willingness to learn mindset from mentors, peers, and others. Strong technical problem solving, written, and verbal communication skills. Strong resolve to drive tasks to completion autonomously. Ability to travel is required. U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance if necessary. Ability to obtain clearance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives as an Employee Possessor. Preferred Qualifications: Advanced degree (Master’s) in a STEM discipline. Proven track record of developing, implementing, and documenting RMSS strategies and corrective actions. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Proven ability as a fast learner with a strong interest in both hardware integration and system safety design. Experience in the sustainment of complex aerospace or defense systems. Familiarity with requirements decomposition, FMEAs, verification and validation, and risk analysis. Proficiency with requirements database tool - DOORS. Works well in a small team environment. If you are driven by solving complex technical challenges and leading innovative systems solutions in a dynamic environment, we invite you to apply and join our mission-critical team. Primary Level Salary Range: $98,400.00 - $147,600.00 The 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.

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