Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems Sector is seeking Principal Engineer Software or Sr. Principal Engineer Software to support the Global Surveillance Division supporting the team of qualified, diverse individuals. The program technologies include the full software lifecycle and advanced missions support in tactical applications for the warfighter. This position will be located in Melbourne, Florida location, on site.
Responsibilities will include designing, testing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving the systems and software. You’ll need to rely on the following skills: Linux/RHEL, bash scripting, Ansible, Atlassian Suite, ACAS and SCC scanning, patching and applying STIGs, C++, Python, virtual machines (KVM/QEMU, VMware/Vcenter), and container technology such as podman.
Essential Functions:
- Full lifecycle design, implementation, and unit testing of software
- Work with various team members to integrate functionality with other software components.
- Supporting the gathering and reporting software metrics.
- Follow program software best practices.
- Develop software products within all phases of the software lifecycle.
- Work closely with engineers and technicians in a lab environment
- Review, analyze, and incorporate technical requirements into end-to-end system architectures
- Full lifecycle design, implementation, and unit testing of software.
- Occasional travel may be required
- Ability to lead a team and/or provide leadership to drive solutions of complex problems.
- Support software working groups with the customer.
- Develop and share technical documentation and presentations.
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Level or a Sr. Principal Level.
Basic Qualifications:
- (Principal Engineer Software) bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 5+ years of experience in software engineering, 3 years of relevant experience with a master's degree or more years of experience in software engineering
- (Sr. Principal Engineer Software) bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 8+ years of experience in software engineering, 6 years of relevant experience, with a master's degree or more years of experience in software engineering or a PhD with 4 or more years software engineering experience
- Must be a US citizen with ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret level security clearance. Interim DoD secret required to start.
- Ability to obtain and maintain special program access.
- Development experience with C/C++ or other OOP languages.
- At least 3 years of Linux Operating Systems troubleshooting experience, applying STIGs, and scanning with ACAS and SCC.
- At least 3 years of experience with virtualization technologies (e.g. VMware ESXi, KVM, Hyper-V), to include creating and managing virtual machines and virtual switches.
- At least 1 year of experience with scripting and automation (e.g., Ansible Automation, Python).
Preferred Qualifications:
- Active certification at DODM 8140 IASAE Level II qualification (e.g. Security+) or greater.
- Active TS/SCI, SAP/SAR access, or Polygraph is preferred.
- RedHat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certified.
- Willingness to work Temporary/short-term off-peak hours assignments for time constrained HW/SW integration efforts.
- Experience with containerization technology (e.g. Podman, Docker).
- Experience with container orchestration systems (e.g. Kubernetes).
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline from an accredited university.
- 5+ years software engineering experience for Principal level or 8+ years for Sr. Principal (advanced degrees may reduce required years).
- U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain DoD Secret level security clearance; Interim DoD Secret required to start.
- Ability to obtain and maintain special program access.
- Development experience with C/C++ or other object-oriented programming languages.
- At least 3 years Linux (RHEL) troubleshooting experience, applying STIGs, and scanning with ACAS and SCC.
- At least 3 years experience with virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware ESXi, KVM, Hyper-V), including creating/managing VMs and virtual switches.
- At least 1 year scripting and automation experience (e.g., Ansible, Python).
- Active DODM 8140 IASAE Level II qualification (e.g., Security+) or greater.
- Active TS/SCI, SAP/SAR access, or Polygraph.
- RedHat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA).
- Willingness to work temporary/short-term off-peak hours for time-constrained HW/SW integration.
- Experience with containerization (Podman, Docker).
- Experience with container orchestration systems (Kubernetes).
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.







