Principal Systems Engineer / Senior Principal Systems Engineer

About the role

The Principal Systems Engineer / Senior Principal Systems Engineer supports the Office of the Chief Engineer's IT Solutions team. This role involves working on-site at Northrop Grumana's Melbourne, FL campus, and requires a current U.S. Government Secret level security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and governance of the Looking Glass Digital Engineering Ecosystem (DEE) architecture.
• Define and enforce the DEE framework connecting Program Authoritative Sources of Truth (ASoTs).
• Integrate AI-enabled capabilities into the DEE, including intelligent data pipelines, automated anomaly detection, and predictive analytics.
• Ensure the DEE architecture supports digital engineering and sustainment access throughout the program lifecycle.
• Own architectural decisions and produce authoritative architecture artifacts such as ConOps, SRDs, SoS architecture diagrams, interface documents, and SoS-level agreements.
• Lead or co-lead the IT technical baseline, develop and deliver the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), and apply MBSE using Cameo, Orbus, or equivalent tools.
• Drive requirements definition, allocation, traceability, and management throughout the program lifecycle using DOORS and/or RTM.
• Prepare program review artifacts for SRR, PDR, CDR, SVR, and TRR; present to IPT and government customer.
• Conduct trade studies, functional analysis, and market research to inform design decisions.
• Architect and implement scalable, redundant, highly available IT solutions across on-premises, co-location, and cloud environments.
• Design and implement secure operating systems, networks, and COTS software solutions aligned to DEE requirements.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization for cost and performance; lead cloud migration planning as applicable.
• Evaluate and recommend AI/ML tools, platforms, and frameworks for integration into the DEE, including predictive analytics, anomaly detection, and process optimization use cases.
• Support the design of data pipelines and infrastructure enabling AI/ML workloads within compliant government IT boundaries.
• Apply AI-assisted automation to systems engineering workflows, including requirements analysis, test coverage assessment, and configuration management anomaly detection.
• Assess and document AI/ML system risks, including data governance, model explainability, and compliance with applicable DoD AI ethics guidelines.
• Collaborate with data scientists, software engineers, and program stakeholders to translate AI capability needs into actionable DEE infrastructure requirements.
• Ensure DEE architecture and all technology solutions comply with Enterprise policies, Government requirements, and cyber compliance mandates.
• Lead or oversee the Infrastructure Configuration Control Board (CCB) process; ensure approved change management processes are followed.
• Develop and maintain the Information Systems Security Plan (ISSP) for production and DEE systems.
• Lead periodic risk assessments; produce documented mitigations and present findings to program leadership.
• Serve as the primary IT/DEE technical interface to the government customer and SE&A IPT Lead.
• Interface regularly with project managers, architects, technical specialists, and site directors.
• Mentor T01/T02 engineers; serve as technical consultant to IPT leads and program managers.
• Communicate complex technical content — written and verbal — to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Work with IT Asset Management (ITAM) to maintain authoritative records for all DEE-managed hardware and software.
• Author and maintain SOPs, KBs, SRDs, interface documents, V&V plans, ConOps, and DR procedures.
• Track and enforce backup procedures, disaster recovery plans, and patch compliance across the DEE.

Qualifications

• For a Principal Systems Engineer (T03): 5 Years of relevant experience with a Bachelors degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM discipline; 3 Years with a Masters degree; 1 Year with a PhD.
• For a Senior Principal Systems Engineer (T04): 8 Years of relevant experience with a Bachelors degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related STEM discipline; 5 Years with a Masters degree; 3 Year with a PhD.
• Candidates must have a current U.S. Government Secret level security clearance (or higher) in order to be considered.
• 5-8 years in IT Systems Engineering, Architecture, or Defense IT.
• Demonstrated experience designing or contributing to a Digital Engineering Ecosystem or similar program-level IT architecture.
• Proficient in MBSE tools (Cameo, Orbus, or equivalent); experience producing program-grade models.
• Hands-on experience with DOORS and/or requirements traceability matrices (RTM).
• Working knowledge of NIST 800-53, CMMC 2.0, DFARS, and applicable DoD IT standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead working groups, technical interchange meetings, and present at formal program reviews.
• Expertise with AI/ML concepts, tools, or platforms; experience applying AI-enabled automation or analytics in an engineering or IT context is a plus.