Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our organization is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter.
We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal Computer Systems Architect based out of San Diego, CA. As a Principal Computer Systems Architect at Northrop Grumman you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to be a part of our Enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of automation.
What You’ll get to Do:
- Work closely with engineers and technicians in a lab environment
- Advise on integration of new emerging industry technologies to the program’s systems
- Implement engineering changes to the system as required
- Review, analyze, and incorporate technical requirements into end-to-end system architectures
- Responsible for completing the network configurations and coordinating with the peers, SMEs, and government engineers.
- Occasional travel may be required
Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in science, engineering, or related discipline with 5 years of experience; OR 3 years of relevant experience with a Masters degree; OR 1 year of experience with STEM PhD degree. An additional 4 years of relevant experience can be considered in lieu of a Bachelor degree.
- Advance and in-depth technical knowledge of Red Hat and/or other Linux operating systems.
- Experience utilizing and working with Splunk
- Knowledge of STIGs and STIG implementation + DNS; specifically Linux BIND
- Scripting/Programming experience (e.g. Bash/Shell, Ansible, Python, etc.)
- Full on-site presence at San Diego Spectrum Center campus
- Ability to travel 10% of the time
- Must be a US Citizen
- CLEARANCE: A current/active DoD Secret clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with imaging, backup and restore software and scripting (Clonezilla, Linux dump, etc)
- Experience leading and managing internal programs and working with engineers to delegate tasking/efforts
- Experience with containers (Docker, Red Hat OpenShift, Kubernetes)
- Strong experience with virtualization platforms (VMWare, KVM, Hyper-V, RH-V)
- Ability to work independently with minimal guidance and provide milestone progress on critical items or scheduled items
- Ability to mentor and help grow junior engineers and share knowledge and experience to improve procedures, processes and bring recommendations for technological improvements
- Ability to work and support a flexible schedule (2nd shift, RDO Fridays, possibly weekends) as required
- Basic to advance knowledge of networking and network systems including iSCSI connectivity functionality
- Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of Linux/Unix systems
- Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of Containerization technologies
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Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00The 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.Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, or related discipline with 5 years of experience OR Master's +3 years OR PhD +1 year (or equivalent experience)
- Advanced and in-depth technical knowledge of Red Hat and/or other Linux operating systems
- Experience utilizing and working with Splunk
- Knowledge of STIGs and STIG implementation, including DNS (Linux BIND)
- Scripting/Programming experience (e.g., Bash/Shell, Ansible, Python)
- Full on-site presence at San Diego Spectrum Center campus
- Ability to travel approximately 10% of the time
- Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Current/active DoD Secret clearance
- Experience with imaging, backup and restore software and scripting (Clonezilla, Linux dump, etc.)
- Experience leading and managing internal programs and delegating engineering tasks
- Experience with containers (Docker, Red Hat OpenShift, Kubernetes)
- Strong experience with virtualization platforms (VMWare, KVM, Hyper-V, RH-V)
- Ability to work independently and provide milestone progress
- Ability to mentor and grow junior engineers and share best practices
- Ability to support a flexible schedule (2nd shift, RDO Fridays, possibly weekends)
- Networking knowledge including iSCSI connectivity functionality
- Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of Linux/Unix systems
- Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of containerization technologies
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.







