Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems Sector has an opening for a Principal Data Engineer to join our Digital Strategy & Analytics team. This position is located in Rancho Bernardo, California.
Are you motivated to work in an environment that will challenge you, force you to continuously innovate, and work on solutions that make a difference for your customers? Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems relies on our team to provide the insights needed to drive performance across a broad range of strategic activities. We are looking for a passionate Data Engineer to design and develop an ecosystem of interconnected business systems, virtualized data pipelines, data catalogs, and end-user consumable data products.
You will share in the ownership of the technical vision and direction for a Digital Ecosystem that changes the way we see and use data. We are looking for people who are self-motivated, hardworking, and have demonstrated the ability to find innovative solutions to complex technical problems.
Essential Functions:
Develop and run a data architecture plan that supports business goals and objectives
Build and maintain data models and metadata standards to facilitate data integration and analysis
Work with business stakeholders to understand their data requirements and develop solutions to meet those requirements
Work across technical teams and product owners to provide an architectural recommendation
Lead a technical and technology assessment initiative to develop and deliver a recommendation for digitizing core business functions
Understand the current business processes, systems and their functions to be able to develop a recommendations for the digital ecosystem
Ensure that data storage and retrieval solutions are in line with business requirements.
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skill
Collaboration and problem-solving skills
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 5 years of experience OR Master’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 3 years of experience
Experience with data architecture, data models, physical database designs, data integration strategy and design for operational systems, systems integration, and analytical systems
Experience with SQL Server and proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, etc.)
Knowledge of data governance best practices, data quality standards, and data security protocols
Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company.
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s degree in a STEM field with 7 years of relevant experience.
5 years of experience working with ETL techniques and frameworks.
Expert in Python, SQL, and data visualization tools.
Experience with NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4J, etc.)
Development experience utilizing Hadoop, Spark, PowerShell, and automation scripts.
Experience with data platform technologies (e.g., Palantir, Databricks, etc.).
Experience with Data Virtualization, Warehousing, Cataloging, and Orchestration tools (e.g. Denodo, Collibra, Airflow, DataHub, etc.)
Experience with UI/UX design and development / Graphic Design
Top Secret clearance
CompTIA Security+ Certification or Equivalent 8570 Certification
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in STEM with at least 5 years of experience OR Master's degree in STEM with at least 3 years of experience
- Experience with data architecture, data models, physical database design, data integration strategy, systems integration, and analytical systems
- Experience with SQL Server and proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
- Knowledge of data governance best practices, data quality standards, and data security protocols
- Ability to transfer and maintain final adjudicated government Secret clearance and any required program access
- Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills; collaboration and problem-solving skills
- U.S. Citizenship (required for positions with government clearance)
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.








