Northrop Grumman Space Sector is seeking multiple Software Engineers to support an innovative program in their development, integration, deployment, and sustainment of satellite ground software.
This position is located onsite on our Aurora, CO, Linthicum, MD, or Morrisville, NC campus.
The ideal candidate will have the ability to take ownership of hard problems and drive to a solution, while working in a team environment and provide leadership for its implementation. It is critical that you understand the software development life cycle. The Software Engineer will participate in the full life cycle of software development, to include requirements development, modeling and design, application development, unit to CSCI testing, integration, formal system testing, release, installation, and maintenance. The Software Engineer will apply technical expertise in solving complex integrations problems.
This position requires interfaces between systems analysts/programmers and users located in a specialized area to ensure that information technology designs meet the needs of the end users within an organization. Documents product/service requirements and develop test procedures to ensure user requests are carried out. The Software Engineer will interact with Program Management, and/or government customers. Therefore, excellent verbal, written and interpersonal skills are required. A solid experience in bash scripting, Python, or other OOP languages, in a Linux environment is required.
About our organization: Our Aurora Software & Digital Engineering department comprises 200+ engineers, DevOps specialists, system administrators, DBAs, and network engineers—from entry‑level talent to chief architects. Engineers often serve as informal subject‑matter experts and may assume formal technical‑leadership roles. Career progression into higher‑level technical or leadership positions is strongly supported.
What You’ll Have an Opportunity to Do:
- Full stack development at the OS, platform, and mission unique software layer
- Applications will span languages and toolsets including GO, Python, Postgres, Kubernetes/Docker, AWS cloud infrastructure provisioning, PKI, and static code analysis execution and finding remediation.
- Developer will be expected to be a self-starter capable of making decisions with overall project budget and schedule in mind.
- Develop software which provides command and control functionality of a hardware system (sending commands, receiving acknowledgements, working on and integrating across interfaces)
- Develop software which enables activity planning and constraint checking to achieve mission outcomes.
- Develop software which enables the visualization of a complex and dynamic environment in both two and 3 dimensions, complete with decisions tools, intelligent context, and user-centric interface design.
This position may be filled at the Principal Software Engineer (level 3) or Sr. Principal Software Engineer (level 4).
Basic Qualifications:
Principal Software Engineer Level 3:
- Bachelor’s Degree with 5 years of development experience (3 years with a Master’s Degree, 1 years with a PhD). 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
- Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application.
- 2 Years Experience with Agile programs
- 2 Years Experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products
- 2 Years Experience in producing software architecture documentation
- Experience with Python, GO, AWS, GitLab workflows, and Docker/Kubernetes
Sr. Principal Engineer Level 4:
- Bachelor’s Degree with 8 years of development experience (6 years with a Master’s Degree, 4 years with a PhD). 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
- Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application.
- 4 years with Agile programs
- 4 years of experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products
- 4 years of experience in producing software architecture documentation
- 5 years of experience with Python, GO, AWS, GitLab workflows, and Docker/Kubernetes
- Prior experience with development of microservice software architecture
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience developing satellite ground software with any of the following applications for spacecraft missions is highly preferred: Command and Control, Mission Planning, Visualization, and/or Astrodynamics
- Experience with the creation and use of planning software and constraint checking applications utilized in complex and dynamic space mission planning
- Experience with the creation and implementation of visualization tools for space missions, including dynamic renderings of space vehicles, depiction of space vehicle missions, simulation of space vehicle sensor and mission outputs, and configuration displays of complex contextual and situational awareness information
- Linux, Ansible, Docker, UI/UX experience
- Active CI polygraph
Skills Required
- Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience: 5 years for Level 3, 8 years for Level 4)
- 5+ years development experience (Level 3) or 8+ years development experience (Level 4)
- Experience with Python, Go, AWS, GitLab workflows, and Docker/Kubernetes
- Experience producing software architecture documentation
- Experience designing, building, and deploying software products
- Agile program experience (2 years for Level 3, 4 years for Level 4)
- Solid experience in bash scripting, OOP languages, and Linux environment
- Willingness/ability to work onsite at Aurora CO, Linthicum MD, or Morrisville NC (relocation assistance may be available)
- Experience developing satellite ground software (Command & Control, Mission Planning, Visualization, Astrodynamics)
- Experience with planning/constraint-checking applications and visualization tools for space missions
- Ansible and UI/UX experience
- Active CI polygraph
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.





