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 / Sr. Principal Software Engineer based out of Woodland Hills, CA. As a Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Northrop Grumman, 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, DevSecOps 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 innovation.
For this role, responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Provide technical leadership for junior software engineers
- Develop software utilizing C/C++ to modernize and productionize a research codebase with modern C++ features
- Develop software infrastructure to support CI/CD, software metrics collection, and MLOps
- Implement software-systems, applications, and architectures that leverage techniques to support achieving increased modularity, scalability, and reliability, while also maintaining precision, accuracy, and speed to meet performance requirements
- Ensure industry software engineering best practices and standards are applied and maintained
- Work closely with Software Leads and Architects to understand program intent, system capabilities, and output requirements
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Level or a Sr. Principal Level.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Software Engineer (T03)
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of relative experience; PhD + 1 year of relative experience
- Must be a US Citizen
- Active US Government Secret Clearance
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
- Experience working in C/C++
- Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
- Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
- Proven ability to design and code new software, as well as modify existing software to add new features
- Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
- Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
- Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools
Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Software Engineer (T04)
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of relative experience; PhD + 4 years of relative experience
- Must be a US Citizen
- Active US Government Secret Clearance
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
- Experience working in C/C++
- Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
- Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
- Proven ability to design and code new software or modify existing software to add new features
- Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
- Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
- Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools
Preferred Qualifications
- Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving specified requirements
- Experience with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 20 onwards)
- Experience with containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Experience with Linux operating systems
- Experience with CUDA and GPUs
- Experience with high performance numerical/scientific computing, parallel computing
- Experience with developing for SWaP-constrained environments
- Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Familiarity with signal-processing algorithms
- Familiarity with Agile lifecycle process including Scrum and DevSecOps
This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active DoD Top Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.
This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active US Government Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The 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
- Must be a US Citizen
- Active US Government Secret Clearance
- Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years (Principal) or 8+ years (Sr. Principal) of relative experience
- Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within timeframe set forth by management
- Experience working in C/C++
- Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++17 onwards)
- Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
- Proven ability to design and code new software and modify existing software to add features
- Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
- Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
- Experience developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
- Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
