Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems Sector has an opening for a (Sr.) Principal Engineer Software (Infrastructure) to join Global Surveillance Division supporting a team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position is located in Melbourne, Florida.
Responsibilities include containerization and securing of applications, Operating System hardening and network security. The role requires deploying, automating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving the systems and software infrastructure for rapid deployment and maintainability of the infrastructure. This software role requires you to have hands-on technical experience with virtualization, environment automation and management, and continuous improvements.
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. The Software Engineer will interact with Program Management, external suppliers and/or government customers. Therefore, excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills are required. Solid experience in OS configuration, bash scripting, C/C++, or other OOP languages, in a Linux environment is required. The selected individual will play a critical role in the design, development, and delivery of the program’s deployment strategy and network architecture. Occasional travel will be required.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD secret security clearance and Special Program Access is required.
Roles & Responsibilities include but aren’t limited to:
Work closely with engineers and technicians in a lab environment
Advise on integration of new emerging industry technologies to the program’s systems
Implement engineering changes to the system as required
Review, analyze, and incorporate technical requirements into end-to-end system architectures
Responsible for implementing the network configurations as designed, and coordinating with peers, SMEs, and government engineers on hardening and securing of the system
Willingness to work Temporary/short-term off-peak hours assignments for time constrained HW/SW integration efforts
Full lifecycle design, implementation, and unit testing of software.
Work with various team members to integrate functionality with other software components.
Ability to lead a team and/or provide leadership to drive solutions of complex problems.
Support software working groups with the customer.
Ensure software follows best practices.
Develop software products from all phases of the software lifecycle.
Develop and share technical documentation and presentations.
Basic Qualifications:
(Senior Principal Engineer Software) bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of relevant experience, 6 years of relevant experience, with a master's degree or more years of experience in software engineering
Development experience with Object Oriented Programing languages (C++, Java, etc...)
Experience developing software in Linux and Windows environments
Experience with remote software debugging
Experience with Agile software development
Experience with configuration management using industry standard tools and processes
Familiarity with the Atlassian tool suite, plugins, Git and Confluence
Experience with Firewall, VPN, switch, and router configuration
Experience with authentication and data encryption methods, to include securing communications at either the datalink or network layer
Current DOD 8570 IAT Level II or greater certification (Security+)
Candidate must have the ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Government DoD Secret Clearance
Must have the ability to obtain and maintain special program access
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with containerization technologies
Development experience in Rust
Experience with netbooting and overlay file systems
Experience with container orchestration systems (e.g. Kubernetes)
Experience with virtualization technology (e.g. VirtualBox, QEMU, KVM, vmWare)
Experience with scripting (Bash, Python)
Experience with Linux IP stack
Experience with network security (SELinux, CIPSO, SECMARK)
Experience with multilevel security solutions
Experience with Cisco, Palo Alto, or Juniper
Experience with configuration and management of Cisco, Palo Alto, or Juniper network appliances
Experience with the NCDSMO cybersecurity standards
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in STEM (or master’s) with 8 (or 6 with master’s) years relevant experience
- Development experience with object-oriented languages (C++, Java, C)
- Experience developing software in Linux and Windows environments
- Solid experience in OS configuration and bash scripting
- Experience with remote software debugging
- Experience with Agile software development
- Experience with configuration management using industry-standard tools and processes
- Familiarity with Atlassian tool suite, plugins, Git and Confluence
- Experience with firewall, VPN, switch, and router configuration
- Experience with authentication and data encryption methods, securing communications at datalink or network layer
- Current DoD 8570 IAT Level II or greater certification (Security+)
- Ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Government DoD Secret clearance
- Ability to obtain and maintain special program access
- Ability to work temporary/short-term off-peak hours for HW/SW integration
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.






