Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS) is looking for a Cyber Systems Engineer/ Cyber Systems Engineer based out of Manhattan Beach, CA. Our Team develops and supports state-of-the-art Mission Planning systems.
The individual will be responsible for operating in an agile team environment to perform the following:
- Design, plan, implement, and perform assessment of security controls, polices, and processes compliance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-53 and CNSSI 1253.
- Collaborate with SW development and cyber teams on implementing and documenting plans for system deployment.
- Troubleshoot HW/SW deployments in a development CI/CD environment and at customer sites.
- Implement changes to HW, SW, and networking configurations
- Work with customer ISSMs/ISSOs to develop and implement changes in environments operating under, or seeking, an ATO/IATT.
- Provide technical analyses of cyber infrastructure challenges and problems; develop/identify technical solutions responsive to customer needs.
- Support installation and checkout of systems at customer sites and support subsequent acceptance testing of deployed systems.
- The role is mission critical, time sensitive, and requires an individual who can hit the ground running, navigate a complex stakeholder environment, and maintain the highest standards of security while delivering results within a tight window.
- Travel to CONUS customer sites up to 25% of time.
All work must be performed on-site in Manhattan Beach, CA or at customer locations.
Basic Qualifications
- US Citizenship and Active DoD Top Secret Clearance Programs clearance (adjudicated within the last 5 years or under continuous evaluation)
- Ability to obtain a Top Secret Special Access Programs (SAP) security clearance
- For Cyber Systems Engineer: Bachelor's degree in a Cybersecurity, Computer/Systems Engineering, Information Technology, or a closely related technical discipline and 2+ years of experience or Master's degree in a STEM discipline and 0 years of experience
- For Principal Cyber Systems Engineer: Bachelor's degree in a Cybersecurity, Computer/Systems Engineering, Information Technology, or a closely related technical discipline and 5+ years of experience or Master's degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of experience
- Background in SW/HW integration/troubleshooting/test principles, COTS SW/HW incorporation, and field support.
- Experience with HW and SW administration within a restricted program SW Development Life Cycle
- Design & Development (Software) or Procurement (Hardware): Build the software or buy hardware components from approved vendors.
- Testing: Verify the software works and that hardware meets safety and performance standards.
- Deployment & Configuration: Install software into production and physically configure or assign hardware to users.
- Monitoring & Maintenance: Apply patches, fix bugs, and repair or upgrade physical parts.
- Hands-on experience deploying and configuring Linux and/or Windows systems per DoD STIG requirements.
- CompTIA Security+ Certification (or equivalent DoD 8570 certification)
Preferred (nice to have) Qualifications:
Cyber Systems Engineer
- Active DoD Top Secret SCI clearance (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
- Strong interpersonal and analytic skills
- Experience with current military Mission Planning Systems such as Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS), AFMSS and/or PFPS
- Experience working in an Agile/Scrum team.
- Experience with cloud service providers like Azure and AWS, focusing on configuration, integration, and sustainability of cloud-based systems.
Principal Cyber Systems Engineer
- All of the above for Cyber System Engineer
- Experience designing, integrating, maintaining, and retiring systems within cloud environments.
- Professional Certifications: CISSP, CSSP (Information Security Engineer)
Skills Required
- U.S. citizenship
- Active DoD Top Secret clearance, adjudicated within the past five years or under continuous evaluation
- Ability to obtain a Top Secret Special Access Programs security clearance
- Cyber Systems Engineer: bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer engineering, systems engineering, information technology, or a related technical discipline, plus 2 or more years of experience
- Cyber Systems Engineer: master's degree in a STEM discipline with zero years of experience accepted
- Principal Cyber Systems Engineer: bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer engineering, systems engineering, information technology, or a related technical discipline, plus 5 or more years of experience
- Principal Cyber Systems Engineer: master's degree in a STEM discipline plus 3 or more years of experience accepted
- Experience with software and hardware integration, troubleshooting, testing, COTS software and hardware incorporation, and field support
- Experience administering hardware and software within a restricted-program software development lifecycle
- Experience with software development or hardware procurement, testing, deployment, configuration, monitoring, maintenance, patching, and upgrades
- Hands-on experience deploying and configuring Linux and/or Windows systems according to DoD STIG requirements
- CompTIA Security+ certification or equivalent DoD 8570 certification
- Active DoD Top Secret SCI clearance
- Strong interpersonal and analytical skills
- Experience with military mission-planning systems such as JMPS, AFMSS, or PFPS
- Experience working in an Agile or Scrum team
- Experience with Azure and AWS cloud service providers, including configuration, integration, and sustainability
- Principal role: experience designing, integrating, maintaining, and retiring systems within cloud environments
- CISSP or CSSP Information Security Engineer certification
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
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Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.









