Sr Principal Systems Administrator

Posted Yesterday
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San Diego, CA, USA
In-Office
129K-194K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Logistics • Security • Software • Cybersecurity
The Role
Provides systems administration and architecture support for heterogeneous classified and unclassified development networks. Maintains Linux, Windows, and virtualized environments; performs installations, upgrades, troubleshooting, monitoring, tuning, automation, hardening, and sustainment. Supports software development and test teams, configures networks, implements engineering changes, incorporates technical requirements into architectures, maintains documentation, and provides security support. The role is fully onsite in San Diego and requires 10% travel.
Summary Generated by Built In
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

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.

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.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security.  Our organization 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. 


This requisition is for our opening as a Senior Principal Systems Administration based out of San Diego, CA. Under this role 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 automation.


We are seeking cleared or clearable candidates to perform key assignments for Mission Systems N-OSSM development programs. This position supports a large heterogeneous unclassified and classified computer networks that includes Linux, Windows, and VMware Virtualization with emphasis on supporting software development and test automation teams. Responsibilities include working with software development teams to design and define system architectures for new or existing complex development networks, hardware/software installation, upgrades, troubleshooting, repair, monitoring, tuning, automation scripting and general sustainment activities. Duties will also include maintaining system documentation, developing infrastructure support procedures, and providing security support.

What you’ll get to do:

·        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 completing the network configurations and coordinating with the peers, SMEs, and government engineers.

·        Occasional travel may be required


Basic Qualifications:

·        8 years of experience with Bachelor degree. An additional 4 years of relevant experience can be considered in lieu of a degree.

·        Linux knowledge and experience

    • Advance and in-depth technical knowledge of Red Hat operating systems
    • Understanding of Linux built-in applications/programs (awk, grep, etc)
    • In-Depth Linux troubleshooting knowledge
    • LDAP (RHDS) experience
    • Advanced System hardening experience

·        Utilizing and working with Splunk

·        Basic experience with Windows operating system

·        Knowledge of STIGs and STIG implementation

·        Knowledge of DNS, specifically Linux BIND

·        Scripting/Programming experience

    •  Bash/Shell
    •  Ansible
    •  Python
    •  Other scripting/programming experience

·        Ability to communicate well and operate with considerable independence.

·        Full on-site presence at San Diego Spectrum Center campus

·        Ability to travel 10% of the time.

·        CLEARANCE: Must be a US Citizen and must have or be able to obtain an Interim Secret/Secret clearance before you start

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Preferred Qualifications:

·        Experience with imaging, backup and restore software and scripting (Clonezilla, Linux dump, etc)

·        Experience leading and managing internal programs and working with engineers to delegate tasking/efforts

·        Experience with containers (Docker, Red Hat OpenShift, Kubernetes)

·        Strong experience with virtualization platforms (VMWare, KVM, Hyper-V, RH-V)

·        Ability to work independently with minimal guidance and provide milestone progress on critical items or scheduled items

·        Ability to mentor and help grow junior engineers and share knowledge and experience to improve procedures, processes and bring recommendations for technological improvements

·        Ability to work and support a flexible schedule (2nd shift, RDO Fridays, possibly weekends) as required

·        Basic to advance knowledge of networking and network systems including iSCSI connectivity functionality

·        Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of Linux/Unix systems

·        Experience in design, implementation, and sustainment of Containerization technologies



Salary Range: $129,300-193,900


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.


Employees may be eligible for 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.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA 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.


Additional Information:


Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA 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.


This position offers the option of a 9/80 work schedule. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

Primary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00

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.

Skills Required

  • Bachelor's degree with 8 years of experience, or 12 additional years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree
  • Advanced and in-depth Red Hat operating systems knowledge
  • Linux built-in applications and command-line tools, including awk and grep
  • In-depth Linux troubleshooting experience
  • LDAP and Red Hat Directory Server experience
  • Advanced system hardening experience
  • Splunk experience
  • Basic Windows operating system experience
  • STIG knowledge and implementation experience
  • DNS knowledge, specifically Linux BIND
  • Bash or shell scripting experience
  • Ansible experience
  • Python experience
  • Strong communication skills and ability to work independently
  • Full onsite presence at the San Diego Spectrum Center campus
  • Ability to travel 10% of the time
  • U.S. citizenship
  • Have or be able to obtain an Interim Secret or Secret clearance before starting
  • Imaging, backup, and restore software experience, such as Clonezilla and Linux dump
  • Experience leading internal programs and delegating work with engineers
  • Container experience with Docker, Red Hat OpenShift, or Kubernetes
  • Strong virtualization experience with VMware, KVM, Hyper-V, or Red Hat Virtualization
  • Ability to work independently with minimal guidance and provide milestone updates
  • Mentoring experience and ability to improve procedures and processes
  • Flexibility to support second shift, RDO Fridays, and occasional weekends
  • Basic to advanced networking knowledge, including iSCSI connectivity
  • Linux or Unix systems design, implementation, and sustainment experience
  • Containerization technology design, implementation, and sustainment experience

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.

  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple medical plan options by region alongside dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and wellness programs. Recent materials also highlight added family‑building support, including a dedicated fertility benefit.
  • Retirement Support — The 401(k) savings plan is positioned as competitive with a company match, auto‑escalation features, and access to an employee stock fund/ESPP. Official filings and benefits guides emphasize retirement as a core element of the Total Rewards package.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth — Many sites offer a 9/80 schedule, generous PTO, paid holidays, and flexible/telework options where program needs allow. Paid parental and caregiver leave are prominently featured, with recent enhancements for the delivering parent.

Northrop Grumman Insights

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The Company
HQ: Charlotte, North Carolina
85,636 Employees

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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