Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add a Principal Software Engineer - Development to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Software organization. This position is located on site in San Diego, California.
In this role you will design, develop, integrate and test software (SW) for our end-user customers and businesses. You will be responsible for the design, architecture, development, and administration of embedded and real time systems. You will work with multi-disciplinary teams, such as Systems Engineering, Cloud & Application, Test Automation, DevSecOps and Systems Test, in an Agile SW development environment. You will analyze system capabilities to resolve problems on program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques and controls.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Work in a fast-paced environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, and collaborative team settings across all levels
Participate in the full SW development life cycle including requirements, design, implementation, qualification, and delivery of SW products to our customers
Operate in an embedded technology development environment working with real-time operating systems for use in flight and mission critical systems
Work in Agile Scrum teams to develop SW products for multiple SW baselines
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.
Experience with the full SW Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Experience with the following programming and scripting languages: C, C++, and Python
Experience developing software for Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS)
Experience with developing multi-threaded SW used for one of the following real-time applications: flight critical SW, Safety critical SW, medical SW, or mission critical SW
Experience with one of the following tools: Jira, GitLab, Fortify, or Coverity
Experience with Agile SW development, embedded system programming, SW integration and testing
Active US Secret Clearance issued by the U.S. Government
Preferred Qualifications:
Familiarity with at least two of the data interfaces: 1553, RS-232, RS-422, ARINC-429, Serial, Discrete, or Ethernet/IP
Familiarity with a Unit Test framework such as Google Unit Test
Familiarity with Matlab, Simulink, or similar platforms
Recent experience and proficiency in software architecture, design, implementation, integration, and debugging C++ SW running on Real-Time Operating systems such as: VxWorks, Integrity, RTX 64, AND/OR Real Time Embedded Linux.
Able to read assembly and use CPU documentation to understand behaviors
Can identify moderate execution defects by only reading code
Understanding of how their embedded SW component will fit into a larger SW system / architecture
Able to document, capture, and present software architectural components in modeling or diagramming tools
Familiarity with OS partitions and isolation architectures
High level understanding of architectural requirements for airworthiness certifications
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience, or a master's degree and 3 years of related experience, or a PhD and 1 year of related experience
- Experience with the full software development lifecycle
- Experience with C, C++, and Python
- Experience developing software for real-time operating systems
- Experience developing multithreaded software for flight-critical, safety-critical, medical, or mission-critical real-time applications
- Experience with Jira, GitLab, Fortify, or Coverity
- Experience with Agile software development, embedded systems programming, software integration, and testing
- Active U.S. Secret clearance issued by the U.S. Government
- Familiarity with at least two data interfaces, including 1553, RS-232, RS-422, ARINC-429, Serial, Discrete, or Ethernet/IP
- Familiarity with a unit test framework such as Google Unit Test
- Familiarity with MATLAB, Simulink, or similar platforms
- Recent proficiency in software architecture, design, implementation, integration, and debugging of C++ software on RTOS platforms
- Ability to read assembly and use CPU documentation to understand behavior
- Ability to identify moderate execution defects by reading code
- Understanding of how embedded software components fit within larger software systems and architectures
- Ability to document, capture, and present software architectural components using modeling or diagramming tools
- Familiarity with OS partitions and isolation architectures
- High-level understanding of architectural requirements for airworthiness certifications
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.








