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 Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team 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. Come be a part of our mission!
We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal or Senior Principal Software Engineer - Navigation based out of Woodland Hills, CA. As a Software Engineer at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems 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 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:
In this position you will be developing, testing, and debugging software for our cutting edge Navigation systems. As a member of our world class software development team, you will have opportunities to improve and expand your capabilities in software design and code development. You will also have opportunities to perform software and system integration on state of the art hardware, learn new software development techniques such as Model Based Engineering (MBE), and work in an agile and collaborative development environment.
As a successful candidate, you will collaborate with peers across our organization and will have clearly demonstrated the strong leadership skills needed to join our top performing team. You will have a track record as an effective communicator and problem solver who is able to develop and maintain good working relationships with our internal and external customers. You will also have demonstrated a commitment to ethics and integrity, and the capability to innovate while challenging our traditional ways of doing business. You will make us even better!
This requisition may be filled as a Principal Software Engineer or Senior Principal Software Engineer
Basic Qualifications for Principal Software Engineer:
Bachelors degree in STEM with 5 years of hands on Software Development experience; 3 years of experience with Masters in STEM; 1 year with a PhD in STEM
Experience developing software in MATLAB/Simulink
Experience with programming (C and Python)
Experience using software management and workflow automation tools such as ClearCase, Git, ClearQuest, or Jira
Experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
Experience using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
Experience with Navigation Systems and INS/GPS Kalman filter design and requirements definition
Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative development environment
U.S. Citizenship is required
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance is required
Required to work on site full-time
Basic Qualifications for Senior Principal Software Engineer:
Bachelors degree in STEM with 8 years of hands on Software Development experience; 6 years of experience with Masters in STEM; 4 Years with a PhD in STEM
Experience developing software in MATLAB/Simulink
Experience with programming (C and Python)
Experience using software management and workflow automation tools such as ClearCase, Git, ClearQuest, or Jira
Experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
Experience using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
Experience with Navigation Systems and INS/GPS Kalman filter design and requirements definition
Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative development environment
U.S. Citizenship is required
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance is required
Required to work on site full-time
Preferred Qualifications:
Current/Active U.S. Government Secret clearance
Experience in the development and performance of software tests
Experience using DOORS for software requirements management
Expertise in Sensor Fusion for Navigation Systems using IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), GPS, barometers, and other sensors.
Expertise in INS (Inertial Navigation System) mechanizations.
Expertise in Embedded INS/GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation systems.
Demonstrated capability to translate formal software requirements into software designs
Demonstrated capability to define software requirements for an INS/GPS system
Familiarity with/Experience in INS/GPS Kalman filter design and requirements definition
Experience developing, verifying, certifying and releasing mission and safety-critical software systems that comply with RTCA DO-178B/ C or similar guidelines.
Demonstrated use of MATLAB for simulation and INS/GPS system performance evaluation
Hands-on experience with one or more communication protocols such as MIL-STD-1553, ARINC-429 or RS-422
Experience with code analysis tools such as Polyspace and software test tools such as LDRA and VectorCast
Skills Required
- Bachelors degree in STEM with 5 (Principal) to 8 (Senior Principal) years of hands-on software development experience (alternatively 3/6 years with Masters; 1/4 years with PhD).
- Experience developing software in MATLAB/Simulink.
- Programming experience in C and Python.
- Experience using software management and workflow automation tools such as ClearCase, Git, ClearQuest, or Jira.
- Experience using MATLAB to create, process, analyze, and visually represent data.
- Experience using Simulink to model dynamic systems.
- Experience with Navigation Systems and INS/GPS Kalman filter design and requirements definition.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative development environment.
- U.S. Citizenship is required.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret clearance.
- Required to work on site full-time (Woodland Hills, CA).
- Current/Active U.S. Government Secret clearance.
- Experience in the development and performance of software tests.
- Experience using DOORS for software requirements management.
- Expertise in Sensor Fusion for Navigation Systems using IMU, GPS, barometers, and other sensors.
- Expertise in INS mechanizations and Embedded INS/GPS navigation systems.
- Demonstrated capability to translate formal software requirements into software designs and define software requirements for INS/GPS systems.
- Experience developing, verifying, certifying and releasing mission and safety-critical software that complies with RTCA DO-178B/C or similar guidelines.
- Hands-on experience with communication protocols such as MIL-STD-1553, ARINC-429 or RS-422.
- Experience with code analysis and software test tools such as Polyspace, LDRA, and VectorCast.
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.







