*Please be aware that this position will be contingent upon capturing program award(s), obtaining and maintaining customer and/or business funding, and holding final clearances prior to start date.*
Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking an Embedded Software Engineer - Level 3 or 4 (Active Secret) to join our team of highly qualified, diverse professionals within the Western Region Software Engineering Directorate. This position is located onsite in Redondo Beach, CA.
The job responsibilities of the Embedded Software Engineer – Level 3 or 4 include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Design, develop, document, integrate, test, and debug software solutions for end‑user customers
- Support the architecture, development, and lifecycle management of embedded and real‑time systems.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams—including Systems Engineering, Digital Engineering, Hardware, and Integration & Test—within an Agile development environment.
- Analyze system capabilities to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to program intent, output requirements, data acquisition, programming methods, and control strategies.
- Selected candidate will work in a fast-paced lab environment with rapid development
*Please be aware that this position will be contingent upon capturing program award(s), obtaining and maintaining customer and/or business funding, and holding final clearances prior to start date.*
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on the qualifications listed below.
Basic Qualifications – Embedded Software Engineer (Level 3):
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of software development experience or Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of stated experience or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 1+ year of stated experience
- Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance required at the time of application
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ programming, executing in an embedded Linux or RTOS environment (i.e., VxWorks, FreeRTOS, RT-Linux, GH Integrity)
- Proficiency in Java programming, executing in an application environment
- Proficiency in Object Oriented programming
- Prior work experience integrating low-level firmware and software in complex real-time multi-threaded embedded applications
- Prior work experience in developing and debugging embedded real-time systems
Basic Qualifications – Embedded Software Engineer (Level 4):
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of software development experience or Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of stated experience or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 4+ years of stated experience
- Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance required at the time of application
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ programming, executing in an embedded Linux or RTOS environment (i.e., VxWorks, FreeRTOS, RT-Linux, GH Integrity)
- Proficiency in Java programming, executing in an application environment
- Proficiency in Object Oriented programming
- Prior work experience integrating low-level firmware and software in complex real-time multi-threaded embedded applications
- Prior work experience in developing and debugging embedded real-time systems
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with Software Defined Networks
- Data Plane protocols such as Ethernet, IPv4 and IPv6, MPLS, TCP/UDP and other transport protocols
- Control Plane protocols such as OSPF/IS-IS, BGP, ICMP
- SDN architectures and protocols such as P4, gRPC/gNMI, Openflow
- Network management architectures and protocols such as SNMP/MIBs, NETCONF/YANG
- Familiarity with Xilinx tools (Vitis, Vivado, Petalinux)
- Recent Experience with Xilinx platforms (Ultrascale+ MPSoC or VERSAL)
- Familiarity with Linux kernel driver development/modifications
- Ability and willingness to obtain a Top Secret clearance and/or SCI Access
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years (Level 3) or 8+ years (Level 4); alternative: Master's or Ph.D. with equivalent experience
- Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance required at time of application
- U.S. Citizenship required for positions with government clearance
- Strong proficiency in C/C++ for embedded Linux or RTOS environments
- Proficiency in Java programming
- Proficiency in Object Oriented programming
- Prior experience integrating low-level firmware and software in complex real-time multi-threaded embedded applications
- Prior experience developing and debugging embedded real-time systems
- Experience with Software Defined Networks and related protocols (Ethernet, IPv4/IPv6, MPLS, TCP/UDP, OSPF/IS-IS, BGP, ICMP, P4, gRPC/gNMI, OpenFlow, SNMP, NETCONF/YANG)
- Familiarity with Xilinx tools (Vitis, Vivado, Petalinux) and platforms (Ultrascale+ MPSoC, VERSAL)
- Familiarity with Linux kernel driver development/modifications
- Ability and willingness to obtain Top Secret clearance and/or SCI access
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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Retirement Support — 401(k) matching is considered strong, with additional defined-benefit coverage for certain cohorts and options like catch-up contributions. Retirement programs are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO, company-paid holidays, and compressed work schedules (such as 9/80) provide meaningful time away and flexibility. These scheduling options are cited as a major quality-of-life benefit across many locations.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave alongside caregiver leave, adoption assistance, and back-up care supports a range of family needs. These programs have been expanded recently, signaling continued investment in family support.
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.








