As one of the largest global security companies in the world, Northrop Grumman is proud to help our nation’s military personnel make the transition to civilian careers. Approximately 1/4th of Northrop Grumman’s 90,000 employees self-identifies as veterans, and more than 1,600 are reservists. The Northrop Grumman Military Internship Program (NG-MIP) is an approved SkillBridge Program under Dept. of Defense Instruction 1322.29. The NG-MIP program is an opportunity for transitioning service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through an individual internship during their last 6 months of service, for up to 180 days. The Northrop Grumman Military Internship Program is open to all ranks and experience levels. SkillBridge participants are not eligible for compensation from Northrop Grumman, as they continue to receive military compensation and benefits as Active-duty service members.
Responsibilities for this internship position are:
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) has developed the Northrop Grumman – Military Internship Program (DoD SkillBridge) utilizing the DoDI guidance for Skillbridge. During this program the service member will be on-site at his or her host company performing an individual internship in an entry to mid-level career type role. The service member will be on the job training supporting a work schedule equivalent to 40hrs per week. Outlined below are the Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes for the program.
Goals – Provide transitioning service members fellowship-style job skills training during the last portion(s) of their military commitment. This program is specifically designed to offer internships that result in the potential to transition to a full-time opportunity as the conclusion of the training. Interns will serve as a pipeline for high-speed, motivated military candidates into NGC.
Objectives - Service Members who complete the Intern program will be highly trained, capable, future employees that align to the specific needs of the organization and are prepared to meet the NG mission “Defining Possible” on Day 1. This program provides a comprehensive internship experience including professional development, networking with leadership, and training specifically focused on NG leadership principles, company history, customer/stakeholder engagement, product and service overview, and core job responsibilities.
Outcome – Offer transitioning service member a rewarding opportunity to join the Northrop Grumman team.
DoD SkillBridge Eligibility:
- Has served at least 180 days on active duty
- Is within 12 months of separation or retirement
- Will receive an honorable discharge
- Has taken any service TAPS/TGPS
- Has attended or participated in an ethics brief within the last 12 months
- Received Unit Commander (first O-4/Field Grade commander in chain of command) written authorization and approval to participate in DoD SkillBridge Program prior to start of internship.
GCCS-J is the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Command and Control (C2) system of record. GCCS-J supports commanders and warfighers as they conduct joint and multinational operations by providing a fused picture of the battlespace within an integrated system that is supporting Joint Warfighter needs today. GCCS-J is focused on meeting emerging operational needs through sustainment and synchronization support to operational baselines (Global, Joint Operations Planning and Execution System (JOPES) and three product areas (Situational Awareness, Infrastructure, and Intelligence). Along with sustainment and synchronization, GCCS-J will focus on modifying and enhancing elements or capabilities to implement new requirements, enhance functionality, increase efficiency, or lower operating/deployment costs incorporating agile technologies and capabilities.
The position also involves providing support for set-up and staffing of system demonstrations. Some travel is required (less than 25%), but every effort is made to deconflict with personal responsibilities. The work environment is that of a casual small-company feel but backed by large-company resources and infrastructure. Career growth opportunities range from program-specific test lead roles to lateral transitions toward systems or software engineering.
Responsibilities:
- Full life cycle product testing to include but not limited unit, functional, and integration testing on a variety of architectures and target hardware platforms.
- Perform as an individual contributor on an Agile Scrum team.
- Support troubleshooting with development staff.
- Contributes to the development of software documentation.
- Provide product demonstrations, acquire user feedback, and User Experience (UX) input.
Basic Qualifications for a Test Engineer
- Bachelors in science with 2 years’ experience, Masters degree with 0 years’ experience, or 6 years of experience in lieu of degree
- All other basic qualifications
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Test Engineer
- Bachelors in science with 5 years’ experience, Masters degree with 3 years’ experience, or 9 years of experience in lieu of degree
- All other basic qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- Experience developing test steps, cases, plans, and documents.
- Experience mapping test steps to requirements.
- User level experience with Linux and Windows Operating Systems.
- Strong troubleshooting, problem solving, and verbal/written communication skills with the ability to work within a team environment.
- US citizen with a final Secret clearance.
- Meets DoD SkillBridge qualifications as per DODI 1322.29
Preferred Qualifications:
- CompTIA Security+ Certification.
- Experience with Global Command and Control System–Joint (GCCS J) as either an operator or system administrator.
- Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) system administration-level experience.
- Experience with Windows (Client and Server) system administration-level experience.
- Experience with Agile Software Development practices.
- Experience with development/execution/maintenance of functional/system/integration-level test cases/test plans.
- Experience with Automated Software Testing (developing/executing).
- Strong leadership qualities, initiative, and desire to independently research and experiment with emerging technologies and libraries within defined testing practices.
- Global Command and Control Systems – Joint (GCCS-J) and/or equivalent systems familiarity
- Familiarity with:
- DevSecOps
- Docker and Kubernetes
- Automated container deployment and scanning
- Running performance tests and debugging techniques
- Understanding of networking and network troubleshooting.
- Knowledge of the Atlassian Suite (JIRA, Confluence, Bitbucket, etc.).
- Familiarity with Command and Control (C2) Systems.
- Top Secret / SCI clearance.
Skills Required
- Bachelors in science with 2 years' experience, Masters degree with 0 years' experience, or 6 years of experience in lieu of degree
- Experience developing test steps, cases, plans, and documents
- Experience mapping test steps to requirements
- User level experience with Linux and Windows operating systems
- Strong troubleshooting, problem solving, and verbal/written communication skills; ability to work within a team environment
- US citizen with a final Secret clearance
- Meets DoD SkillBridge qualifications as per DODI 1322.29
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.






