Join Northrop Grumman on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real-life solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today.
At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we’ll support you with expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.
We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal Cyber Software Engineer and Sr. Principal Cyber Software Engineer based out of Chantilly, VA.
In this role, the Principal/Senior Principal Software Engineer will:
- Collaborate within a team of software engineers to design, develop, and deploy new enterprise systems while providing continued Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support for existing applications.
- Manage, maintain, and optimize SQL Server databases, executing routine DBA responsibilities in parallel with core application development.
- Develop and enhance a distributed Windows enterprise service bus (ESB) architecture while ensuring the stability of high-volume, high-availability MSSQL databases.
- Support the architectural design, system implementation, and scaling of applicable technologies to successfully complete critical mission requirements.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Cyber Software Engineer:
- Candidate must currently have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph security clearance to be considered. The security clearance eligibility must be in place by the start date and must stay in place through employment.
- Bachelor's degree with 5 years of relevant experience, a Master’s degree with 3 years of relevant experience, a PhD with 1 year of relevant experience, or 9 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
- Demonstrated experience developing applications using C#, .NET Framework, ASP.Net, and Windows Development using Visual Studio.
- Significant experience with Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL), including both database development and DBA tasks such as database maintenance, performance tuning, indexing strategies, and security configuration.
- Strong familiarity and hands-on experience working within Agile development environments.
- Proven ability to organize, prioritize, and self-manage multiple complex project tasks simultaneously.
- Experience collaborating with stakeholders to iteratively define requirements and successfully translate them into actionable user stories.
- Strong analytical skills to troubleshoot, perform root-cause analysis, and resolve complex software defects across the application stack.
Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Cyber Software Engineer:
- Candidate must currently have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph security clearance to be considered. The security clearance eligibility must be in place by the start date and must stay in place through employment.
- Bachelor's degree with 8 years of relevant experience, a Master’s degree with 6 years of relevant experience, a PhD with 4 years of relevant experience, or 12 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
- Demonstrated experience developing applications using C#, .NET Framework, ASP.Net, and Windows Development using Visual Studio.
- Significant experience with Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL), including both database development and DBA tasks such as database maintenance, performance tuning, indexing strategies, and security configuration.
- Strong familiarity and hands-on experience working within Agile development environments.
- Proven ability to organize, prioritize, and self-manage multiple complex project tasks simultaneously.
- Experience collaborating with stakeholders to iteratively define requirements and successfully translate them into actionable user stories.
- Strong analytical skills to troubleshoot, perform root-cause analysis, and resolve complex software defects across the application stack.
Preferred Qualifications for both levels:
- Experience with modern .NET (.NET 5/6/8+) and cloud-ready architectures.
- Proficiency with integration patterns and architectures like an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB).
- Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipeline configuration, and scripting via PowerShell.
- Self-starter with a proven ability to master new technologies independently and provide technical leadership on assigned development projects.
Primary Level Salary Range: $125,300.00 - $187,900.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $156,400.00 - $234,600.00The 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
- Active TS/SCI security clearance with polygraph required at start and maintained throughout employment
- Bachelor's degree with 5 years of relevant experience, master's degree with 3 years, PhD with 1 year, or 9 years of relevant experience in lieu of degree for Principal level
- Bachelor's degree with 8 years of relevant experience, master's degree with 6 years, PhD with 4 years, or 12 years of relevant experience in lieu of degree for Senior Principal level
- Experience developing applications using C#, .NET Framework, and ASP.NET
- Windows development experience using Visual Studio
- Significant Microsoft SQL Server experience, including database development and DBA tasks
- Experience with database maintenance, performance tuning, indexing strategies, and security configuration
- Hands-on experience working in Agile development environments
- Ability to organize, prioritize, and self-manage multiple complex project tasks
- Experience collaborating with stakeholders to define requirements and translate them into user stories
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and complex software defect resolution skills
- Experience with modern .NET 5/6/8+ and cloud-ready architectures
- Proficiency with Enterprise Service Bus integration patterns and architectures
- Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps and CI/CD pipeline configuration
- PowerShell scripting experience
- Ability to independently master new technologies and provide technical leadership
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.
