Software Engineer Level 3 or 4 (AHT)

Relocation assistance may be available. Top Secret clearance required for start. Travel required: 10% of the time.

About the role

Northrop Grumman Space Sector is seeking multiple Software Engineers to support an innovative program in the development, integration, deployment, and sustainment of satellite ground software. This position can be located onsite at our Aurora, CO or Morrisville, NC campus.

The ideal candidate will take ownership of hard problems, drive solutions, and provide leadership in a team environment. The Software Engineer will participate in the full software development life cycle, from requirements development to maintenance, and apply technical expertise to solve complex integration problems. This role requires interfacing with systems analysts, programmers, and users to ensure information technology designs meet end-user needs. Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills are required, along with solid experience in bash scripting, Python, or other OOP languages in a Linux environment.

Responsibilities

• Full stack development at the OS, platform, and mission-unique software layer.
• Develop applications using GO, Python, Postgres, Kubernetes/Docker, AWS cloud infrastructure provisioning, PKI, and static code analysis execution and remediation.
• Develop software for command and control functionality of hardware systems (sending commands, receiving acknowledgements, integrating across interfaces).
• Develop software for activity planning, constraint checking, and mission outcomes.
• Develop visualization software for complex and dynamic environments in 2D and 3D, including decision tools and user-centric interface design.
• Document product/service requirements and develop test procedures to ensure user requests are met.
• Interact with Program Management and/or government customers.

Requirements

Principal Software Engineer (Level 3)

• Bachelor’s Degree with 5 years of development experience (3 years with a Master’s Degree, 1 year with a PhD). 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application.
• 2 years of experience with Agile programs.
• 2 years of experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products.
• 2 years of experience in producing software architecture documentation.
• Full-stack software engineering experience.
• Strong experience with Java 1.8+ (object-oriented design and implementation).
• Experience developing microservice-based applications.
• Experience working in automated CI/CD pipelines, including unit testing, integration testing, and automation test frameworks such as Robot or Cucumber.
• Experience with version control systems.

Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Level 4)

• Bachelor’s Degree with 8 years of development experience (6 years with a Master’s Degree, 4 years with a PhD). 4 additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application.
• 4 years of experience with Agile programs.
• 4 years of experience with the design, build, and deployment of software products.
• 4 years of experience in producing software architecture documentation.
• Full-stack software engineering experience.
• Strong experience with Java 1.8+ (object-oriented design and implementation).
• Experience developing microservice-based applications.
• Experience working in automated CI/CD pipelines, including unit testing, integration testing, and automation test frameworks such as Robot or Cucumber.
• Experience with version control systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing on Red Hat Linux 8 or similar Linux environments.
• Experience deploying applications into cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Ground systems domain knowledge.
• Experience working under high security requirements and secure development practices.
• Experience with RESTful APIs and JMS (event-driven and message-based architectures).
• Experience with build and deployment tooling such as Git, Maven, Helm, Harbor.
• Strong front-end development experience with JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue).
• Familiarity with Agile, Scrum, and DevOps principles and workflows.
• Strong technical documentation and communication skills.
• Experience with API schemas, deployment standards, and Helm-based deployment patterns.
• System troubleshooting, performance analysis, and recovery of production services.
• Operations and Maintenance (O&M) experience and/or demonstrated bug resolution and incident response.

About our organization

Our Aurora Software & Digital Engineering department comprises 200+ engineers, DevOps specialists, system administrators, DBAs, and network engineers—from entry-level talent to chief architects. Engineers often serve as informal subject-matter experts and may assume formal technical-leadership roles. Career progression into higher-level technical or leadership positions is strongly supported.

Pay

• Principal Software Engineer (Level 3): $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
• Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Level 4): $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

The above salary ranges represent general guidelines. Northrop Grumman considers factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's experience, education, skills, and current market conditions when determining base salary offers. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses reward individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.