Principal / Sr Principal AI Software Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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 Defense Sector has a need for a Principal / Sr. Principal AI Software Engineer with its Weapons Integration and Mission Solutions (WIMS) organization in Warner Robins, GA. This engineering position is for a role on our Integrated Mission Solutions (IMS) Embedded Software Engineering Team. You will be an integral part of an interdisciplinary team of engineers focused on the modernization and sustainment of Embedded Electronic Warfare and Radar Operational Flight Programs. Our ideal candidate will possess technical expertise, a drive to lead from where you are, collaborative people skills, and the proven ability to work within a technically diverse team. This is a full-time salaried position in Warner Robins, GA and requires that you work on-site daily.

What you’ll get to do:

• Develop, adapt, and maintain AI/ML-enabled software solutions, applying modern machine learning and software engineering best practices.

• Participate in the full AI/ML development life cycle, including data understanding and preparation, feature engineering, model development and evaluation, MLOps/pipeline implementation, integration into mission applications, validation and verification, deployment, and ongoing monitoring/maintenance.

• Provide technical leadership in designing and implementing advanced algorithms and AI/ML architectures to solve complex mission problems.

• Frequently collaborate with Program Management, external suppliers, and/or government customers to translate mission needs into AI/ML capabilities, so excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills are essential to success in this role.

**This position may be filled at the Principal Engineer AI Software OR Senior Principal Engineer AI Software level.
 

Basic Qualifications for Principal Engineer AI Software:  

• Must have a Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or an equivalent STEM related discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of relevant AI/ML experience (model development, training, validation, and deployment) with a B.S. (3 years with a Master’s, 1 year with a Ph.D.).

• Proficiency in C / C++ or in Python (including libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit‑learn). Ability to write clean, maintainable code.

• Demonstrated competence in all phases – requirements, design/modeling, implementation, unit‑to‑CSCI testing, integration, formal system testing, release, installation, and maintenance.

• AI/ML pipeline creation (data preparation, feature engineering, model training, validation, and deployment) with an emphasis on real‑time, safety‑critical, or resource‑constrained environments.

• Proficiency in analytical thinking and problem-solving

• Highly motivated self-starters and able to efficiently operate in a team environment

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Must currently hold or be able to obtain and maintain a U.S Department of Defense (DoD) Secret level security clearance

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Engineer AI Software:  

• Must have a Bachelor of Science (B.S) degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or an equivalent STEM related discipline.

• Minimum 8 years of relevant AI/ML experience (model development, training, validation, and deployment) with a B.S. (6 years with a Master’s, 4 years with a Ph.D.).

• Proficiency in C / C++ or in Python (including libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit‑learn). Ability to write clean, maintainable code.

• Demonstrated competence in all phases – requirements, design/modeling, implementation, unit‑to‑CSCI testing, integration, formal system testing, release, installation, and maintenance.

• AI/ML pipeline creation (data preparation, feature engineering, model training, validation, and deployment) with an emphasis on real‑time, safety‑critical, or resource‑constrained environments.

• Proficiency in analytical thinking and problem-solving

• Highly motivated self-starters and able to efficiently operate in a team environment

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Must currently hold or be able to obtain and maintain a U.S Department of Defense (DoD) Secret level security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active Secret Security Clearance

• Experience with Agile development, Jira/Bitbucket/Git

• Hands‑on software/hardware integration and testing

• Experience analyzing system requirements to derive software design and test specifications

• Experience using Jira/Bitbucket/Git

• Familiarity with model‑compression, quantization, and inference optimization

Primary Level Salary Range: $119,000.00 - $178,600.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $148,600.00 - $222,800.00

The 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.