Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for Principal / Senior Principal Engineer Aeronautical - Software to join the team of qualified individuals on our Test and Evaluation organization. This role is located onsite in Melbourne, FL.
**This role may be filled at the Principal OR Senior Principal level based on the qualifications listed, below**
In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for the design, development, deployment, and enhancement of advanced software solutions, specifically focused on laboratory test bench virtualization for flight control, communication, and mission system functionalities. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, a proactive approach to problem-solving, and a commitment to driving innovative improvements.
Key Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
- Assist in the development of the virtual lab topology (compute, storage, networking) using industry standard hypervisors and container orchestration.
- Develop automation scripts (IaC) for provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management of lab resources.
- Build or integrate device emulation layers that expose virtual instruments to end users via standard protocols.
- Implement audit logging to meet security and compliance requirements.
- Create CI/CD pipelines for continuous delivery of lab images, updates, and patches.
- Produce comprehensive documentation (design diagrams, SOPs, user guides) and train lab administrators.
- Work closely with domain experts to translate experimental procedures into reproducible virtual workflows.
We offer flexible work arrangements, 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. We are looking for self-motivated, proactive, and goal-oriented people to help us grow our services and become even better at what we do.
Basic Qualifications (Principal):
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 5 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 3 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 1 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
Willingness and ability to obtain a RedHat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification
Experience using Git or similar version control systems
Experience working across Windows and/or Linux environments (e.g., RHEL, Debian, Ubtuntu, or similar distributions)
Basic Qualifications (Senior Principal):
Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) discipline AND 8 years of related professional/military experience OR a Master of Science degree in a STEM discipline AND 6 years of related professional/military experience, OR a STEM Ph.D. AND 4 years of related professional/military experience
Must have an active US Government Secret (or higher) clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation)
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs
Willingness and ability to obtain a RedHat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification
Experience using Git or similar version control systems
Experience working across Windows and/or Linux environments (e.g., RHEL, Debian, Ubtuntu, or similar distributions)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with systemd, (e.g., use of systemctl, journalctl)
- Experience with hypervisors (e.g. VMWare ESXi, Xen, kvm, Hyper-V), virtualization, and creating virtual machines
- A RedHat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing approaches.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team and to communicate effectively with a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Experience with setting up and configuring a firewall and reverse proxy software PFSense or OPNSense and HAProxy or nginx
- Experience working with OS automation tools
- Experience with implementing and tailoring the implementation of DOD STIGs
- Active Top Secret clearance.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related professional or military experience; or a STEM master's degree and 3 years; or a STEM Ph.D. and 1 year, for the Principal level
- Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM discipline and 8 years of related professional or military experience; or a STEM master's degree and 6 years; or a STEM Ph.D. and 4 years, for the Senior Principal level
- Active US Government Secret or higher security clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program clearance
- Willingness and ability to obtain Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification
- Experience using Git or similar version control systems
- Experience working across Windows and/or Linux environments
- Experience with systemd, systemctl, or journalctl
- Experience with hypervisors, virtualization, and creating virtual machines
- Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop testing
- Experience configuring firewalls and reverse proxy software, including pfSense or OPNsense and HAProxy or nginx
- Experience with operating system automation tools
- Experience implementing and tailoring DoD STIGs
- Active Top Secret clearance
- US citizenship
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.









