Mission Autonomy Software Developer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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’s Aeronautics Systems – Research & Advanced Design (R&AD) transforms breakthrough ideas into mission-ready capabilities through intelligent anticipation. We’re the front-end design engine, defining what comes next. From developing cutting-edge next-generation future aircraft to trailblazing collaborative autonomous platforms, we push the boundaries of technology and forge industry-leading partnerships that set new standards for what’s possible.

Our team owns the full lifecycle of advanced concept creation, from visionary early-stage designs and rapid prototyping to high-impact demonstrations and solving the toughest technical challenges in survivability, autonomy, and battle management. We seek curious, adaptable people who thrive on turning intuition into breakthrough solutions. If you’re driven to invent the future, build what’s next, and shape the landscape of national security, this is where you belong.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Software Engineer or Principal Software Engineer position to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals onsite in El Segundo, CA.

Accomplish

You will report to the Advanced Autonomy Team and will be a key member of their mission autonomy software group working with unmanned autonomous aircraft platforms and their support systems.

In this role you will help develop mission autonomy software and infrastructure in C++ that interacts directly with our autonomous flight testbed. In addition you may work with external partners to onboard their autonomy code into our systems. You will deploy software utilizing containerization and associated technology.  You will work with a multi-disciplinary team including Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Cloud & Application, Dev*Ops, in an Agile software development environment.

Succeed

The individual we seek will be self-motivated, proactive, goal-oriented to help us grow our services, become even better at what we do and will possess the following qualifications.

**This role may be filled at either the Software Engineer or a Principal Software Engineer level based on the qualifications below.**

Basic Qualifications:

• Engineer Software: Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline with 2 years of engineering related experience or a Masters in STEM with 0 years of related engineering experience

• Principal Engineer: Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline with 5 years of engineering related experience or a Masters in STEM with 3 years of related engineering experience

• Experience with Python, C++, and Linux based development environments

• Experience with Object Oriented Programming concepts, and test-driven development practices

• Experience with Agile best practices and processes.

• Knowledge of software engineering practices and patterns for the full software/hardware/network development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, and testing

• Experience implementing containerized software using open standards such as OCI (Open Container Initiative)

• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience implementing on-board mission system software.

• Experience developing Mission Autonomy software for tasking, routing, or other behaviors

• Experience with Government Reference Architectures like OMS/UCI and A-GRA

• Knowledge or experience with software infrastructure as code for technologies such as (Kubernetes/K3s, Podman/Docker, Helm, etc.)

• Experience with Operating System fundamentals such as memory management, scheduling, and concurrency.

Thrive with Us

At Northrop Grumman we are invested in the growth and well-being off all our employees. We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment.

Our Total Rewards Program offers a comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.

Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $105,600.00 - $158,400.00

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.