Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS) is seeking a Principal/ Sr. Principal Engineer to maintain and enhance capabilities in support of DAF CLOUDworks at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Beavercreek, OH. DAF CLOUDworks is a rapidly growing secure cloud program that encompasses 10+ teams. These teams span all different areas of cloud engineering including information security, infrastructure development, and cloud migration. You will be an active part of one of these teams providing technical support of customers leveraging DAF CLOUDworks. Along with operations and sustainment, DAF CLOUDworks focuses on modifying and enhancing offerings to implement new requirements, enhance functionality, increase efficiency, or lower operating/deployment. Successful candidates should:
- Have a track record as an effective communicator and problem solver who is able to develop and maintain good working relationships with internal stakeholders.
- Be able to follow Agile Development process and full life cycle development
- Interface with multiple, geographically disbursed teams and effectively communicate project statuses and blockers
- Ability to support 24X7 on-call
This position is contingent on customer funding and approval and may be filled at a level 3 or level 4.
Basic Qualifications:
- Principal Engineer (level 3): A high school diploma with 9 years of relevant experience OR a bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of relevant experience OR a master’s degree with 3+ years of relevant experience
- Sr. Principal Engineer (level 4): A high school diploma with 12 years of relevant experience OR a bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience OR a master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience
- An active Top Secret clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI)
- Able to obtain IAT Level II certification per DoD 8570.01 such as CASP+ or Security+ within 60 days of start date.
- Expertise with infrastructure components, including network, storage, Linux/Windows, and IT security concepts
- Strong technical knowledge of Cloud-based technologies (AWS Platform, Azure Platform, Google Cloud)
- Expertise with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and microservices
- Experience with networking
- 3+ years of experience scripting in Bash or PowerShell
- Experience with Agile methodologies and tools (Atlassian suite: Jira, Confluence)
- Strong interpersonal, problem-solving, organizational, and multi-tasking skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Preferred Qualifications:
- CompTIA Security+ certification or IAT Level II equivalent per DoD 8570.01
- Certified (associate level or above) in cloud platform
- AWS Platform (>= Solutions Architect Associate)
- Azure Platform (>= Azure Administrator Associate)
- Google (>= Google Cloud Engineer)
- Expertise leveraging git for code management (ArgoCD, Flux, Gitlab)
- Experience with administering cloud-based networking (ACL, Security Groups, WAF)
- Demonstrated experience in cloud adoption, environment prototyping, and data migration
- Knowledge of account management solutions (RBAC, AWS IAM, Azure AD)
#InSITESpring2026
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00The 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.Skills Required
- Active Top Secret clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI)
- Able to obtain IAT Level II certification per DoD 8570.01 (e.g., CASP+ or Security+) within 60 days of start
- Principal/Sr. Principal level experience per listed degree/years combinations
- Expertise with infrastructure components including network and storage
- Experience with Linux and Windows administration
- Strong technical knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
- Expertise with Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
- Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Experience with microservices architectures
- Experience with networking (cloud and on-prem)
- 3+ years scripting experience in Bash or PowerShell
- Experience with Agile methodologies and Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence)
- Ability to support 24x7 on-call operations
- Strong interpersonal, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills
- Ability to interface with geographically dispersed teams and communicate project status
- U.S. Citizenship (required for government clearance roles)
- Experience using git for code management
- Experience administering cloud-based networking (ACLs, Security Groups, WAF)
- Cloud platform certifications (AWS Solutions Architect Associate, Azure Administrator Associate, or Google Cloud Engineer)
- Experience with ArgoCD, Flux, GitLab for CI/CD and GitOps
- Experience with cloud adoption, prototyping, and data migration
- Knowledge of account management solutions (RBAC, AWS IAM, Azure AD)
- CompTIA Security+ or equivalent IAT Level II certification
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.








