Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add a Sr Principal Software Engineer - Thread Lead to join our team on site in San Diego, CA, El Segundo, CA or Oklahoma City, OK. This role requires a self-motivated professional with proven experience collaborating in cross functional Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).
The ideal candidate will be a technology visionary and strategist who can lead the end to end lifecycle of data centric initiatives spanning data science, architecture, storage, analytics, and dissemination. This position demands strong interpersonal skills, the ability to influence stakeholders, and a proven track record of delivering results in highly regulated, high clearance environments.
Roles and Responsibilities will include:
• Provide collaborative technical leadership that drives the maturation and evolution of data solutions across a portfolio of programs, contracts, and operating units, even when requirements conflict.
• Act as the Subject Matter Expert for all aspects of data acquisition, harmonization, processing, storage, analysis, and dissemination across diverse data formats, technologies, and network/distribution protocols.
• Translate raw sensor and telemetry feeds into actionable information that supports mission critical decision making.
• Provide technical leadership and serve as the lead architect for all phases of the product lifecycle, with immediate focus on developing off site storage and extensible data dissemination solutions.
• Define enterprise level strategy and support expansion of the mission set, emphasizing the conversion of raw data into actionable information.
• Advise senior leadership on analytics value opportunities and roadmap alignment.
• Collaborate with end user and customer teams to ensure solutions meet real world needs and incorporate direct feedback.
• Lead technical execution of capabilities and products, owning requirements, design, and serving as the primary point of contact for reach back support.
• Support risk mitigation and proactively generate opportunity driven enhancements.
• Decompose the solution backlog, prioritize epics and user stories, act as the approval authority for feature completion, and define the Definition of Done.
• Facilitate knowledge share and management activities across data acquisition, analysis, and dissemination disciplines.
• Develop and govern data standards to ensure consistency, quality, and interoperability across programs.
The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is no remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required.
Basic Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience being a technical project lead and Product Owner accountable to the outcome of the solutions developed
• Demonstrated understanding of communications technology, data acquisition, storage, processing and analysis technologies, including big data challenges and solutions
• General understanding of network protocols and data dissemination strategies
• Demonstrated ability to stay abreast of developments at the intersection of data science and technology
• Experience engaging cross-functional teams to build a strong data infrastructure
• Self-directed leader
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Access Program (SAP) access via a Program Access Request (PAR). This SAP/PAR must be obtained prior to commencement of employment and must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
• Note: SAP/PAR will be upgraded once selected candidate is in role. Therefore, candidate must also be able to obtain and maintain upgraded SAP/PAR.)
Preferred Qualifications:
• Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.
• Master’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics)
• Skilled at defining, motivating and driving change across multiple contracts/business areas with a dual focus on supporting the end-user mission and ensuring business value
• Advanced technical knowledge of data science and data architecture
• Proven understanding of statistics, structured and unstructured data analysis, predictive modeling techniques and data visualization as well as a good command of emerging methodologies like Artificial Intelligence
• Recognized experience as a thought leader and innovator in the development of new tools, methodologies and problem-solving approaches
Primary Level Salary Range: $116,300.00 - $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
- Bachelor's degree in STEM and 8 years related engineering experience OR Master's with 6 years OR PhD with 4 years
- Demonstrated experience as a technical project lead and Product Owner accountable for outcomes
- Experience with data acquisition, storage, processing, analysis, and dissemination technologies (big data challenges/solutions)
- General understanding of network protocols and data dissemination strategies
- Experience engaging cross-functional teams to build data infrastructure
- Self-directed leadership and ability to influence stakeholders
- Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance with background investigation within past 5 years or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
- Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Access Program (SAP) access via Program Access Request (PAR) and subsequent upgrades
- Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance
- Master's degree in STEM
- Advanced technical knowledge of data science, data architecture, statistics, predictive modeling, and data visualization
- Recognized thought leadership or innovation in development of new tools and methodologies
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.

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