Software Engineer – Level 3 or 4

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI

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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams.

As a Software Engineer – Level 3 or 4 supporting our Software and Electronics/Payloads Department which has ~200 Software Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Systems Administrators, Database Administrators, Network Engineers, and Engineering Leaders from entry-level to the most senior chief engineers and architects to Product Owners and Scrum Masters. This engineering organization supports numerous programs across Divisions and Business Units of the Space Sector. We have opportunities for career advancement into higher level technical roles or leadership positions over one’s career.

This role can be located in either our Morrisville, NC or our Fairfax, VA locations.  On this team, you’ll be a linchpin in missions of paramount importance, defining the art of the possible from day one. 

This work will primarily be performed in a SCIF environment.  This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.  This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Job Responsibilities
In this role you will:

• Design, develop, test, and maintain Python applications on Linux servers.   

• Implement version control best practices using Git, including branching, pull‑request reviews, and CI pipelines.   

• Participate in code reviews, troubleshooting, and performance tuning of production systems.   

• Collaborate with cross‑functional engineers to deliver secure, scalable software.   

• Contribute to containerization and orchestration efforts (Docker, Kubernetes) as needed.   

• Assist in the integration of cloud services (primarily AWS) for development, staging, and production environments.   

• Produce clear technical documentation and adhere to DoD security and compliance standards

This position is contingent upon the candidate verification/obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.

Basic Qualifications (must have/required to be considered):

This requisition may be filled at either a level 3 (Principal), or a level 4 (Sr Principal), depending on the candidate’s experience as laid out in the basic qualifications detailed below as well as the interview assessment.

• Requires an active U.S. Government DoD Top-Secret (TS)/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance [TS/SCI] at time of application, current and within scope

• LEVEL 3 (Principal) - Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR PhD with 1 year of professional experience.Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.

• LEVEL 4 (Sr Principal) - Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience – OR PhD with 4 years of professional experience.Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.

• Professional experience developing software on Linux platforms

• Proven expertise in Python, and Git (branching, merging, CI workflows) 

• Ability to write clean, maintainable code and follow secure coding practices 

 Preferred Qualifications (not required, but nice to have):      

• Experience with Python, Go Lang, and AWS in a systems or application development context

• Hands‑on experience with Docker and Kubernetes (deployment, scaling, service mesh)

• Familiarity with AWS services (EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, CloudFormation, ECS/EKS) 

• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum environment

 If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, consider joining our team!

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards 

#LI-VP1

Primary Level Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $213,400.00

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.