Principal/Sr. Principal Cyber Protection Engineer (AHT)

Relocation assistance may be available. This position requires an active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility. Travel: Yes, 10% of the Time.

About the Role

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS) is seeking a Cyber Protection Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals conducting penetration and cybersecurity testing activities in support of DAF CLOUDworks at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Griffiss Air Force Base. DAF CLOUDworks is a rapidly growing secure cloud program that encompasses 10+ teams supporting information security, infrastructure development, and cloud migration. Along with operations and sustainment, DAF CLOUDworks focuses on securing and enhancing offerings to implement new requirements, improve functionality, increase efficiency, and lower operating/deployment overhead. Successful candidates are effective communicators and problem solvers who build and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

What You'll Do

• Conduct penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, and security assessments against cloud, enterprise, and hybrid environments.
• Evaluate and harden cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, etc.) across IAM, networking, storage, logging, and security services.
• Work with CI/CD pipeline technologies to understand and secure build, test, and deployment workflows.
• Assess containerization and virtualization technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, and VMware from a security perspective.
• Use scripting/automation to support testing, analysis, and operational workflows.
• Contribute to securing and enhancing DAF CLOUDworks offerings to meet new mission requirements.

Basic Qualifications

Education/Experience:

• Level 3: Bachelor's degree in a Science discipline with 5+ years of software development experience OR master's degree with 3+ years of related experience OR an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
• Level 4: Bachelor's degree in a Science discipline with 8+ years of software development experience OR master's degree with 6+ years of related experience OR an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree

Clearance and Certifications:

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility
• Ability to obtain IAT Level II or IAT Level III certification per DoD 8140 requirements (such as CompTIA Security+ or CompTIA SecurityX, formerly CASP+) within 60 days of start date

Technical Experience:

• Experience conducting penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, or security assessments against cloud, enterprise, or hybrid environments
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, including familiarity with IAM, networking, storage, logging, and security services
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline technologies and concepts, including GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms
• Experience or familiarity with containerization and virtualization technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or VMware
• Knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and common enterprise architectures
• Experience using scripting or automation languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell to support testing, analysis, or operational workflows
• Familiarity with offensive security methodologies, vulnerability management processes, and common attacker TTPs

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to analyze technical findings and contribute to assessment reports, presentations, and client deliverables, and communicate findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience assessing cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes, containers, serverless functions, or Infrastructure-as-Code deployments
• Familiarity with cloud security assessment tools, vulnerability scanners, and offensive security frameworks
• Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible, ARM templates, CloudFormation, or Infrastructure-as-Code concepts
• Experience with logging, monitoring, and detection technologies such as Splunk, Sentinel, ELK, Defender, or CrowdStrike
• Familiarity with RMF, A&A activities, STIGs, SCAP, ACAS, or cybersecurity compliance frameworks
• Ability to rapidly learn emerging technologies, cloud attack methodologies, and evolving threat landscapes
• Relevant certifications such as AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer Associate, PenTest+, CySA+, CEH, AZ-500, SC-200, CRTO, GPEN, GXPN, OSCP, or similar cybersecurity certifications

Pay

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00
Secondary 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.

Benefits

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.

This position is contingent on customer approval.