Software Engineer Level 3 or 4

Relocation assistance may be available. This position requires a U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access (TS/SCI), which must be obtained within a reasonable timeframe. U.S. Citizenship is required. Travel is expected (10% of the time). This role is on-site in either Morrisville, North Carolina or Fairfax, Virginia, and does not support remote or hybrid work.

About the role

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 Space Systems (NGSP) is seeking a Software Engineer Level 3 or 4 to join our team in the Payload & Ground Software Engineering organization supporting a Ground program. The successful candidate will develop software, digest changes, and synthesize them into working designs, generate efficient code according to specifications, and adapt to changes driven by bugs, specification updates, or customer needs.

You will operate independently with little oversight in a dynamic environment, be highly self-motivated, and report information to leads and the customer. You will handle diverse assignments efficiently, find unique solutions, and work in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop software applications on Linux/Unix operating systems.
• Apply Agile principles and use Atlassian tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket).
• Work with asynchronous messaging systems (e.g., NATS, ActiveMQ, gRPC).
• Develop using server-side languages such as Python, C++, Node.js, Go, or Java.
• Integrate systems using a data-driven design approach.
• Apply integration best practices, focusing on subsystem interfaces, APIs, and complex workflows.

Qualifications

Level 3 (Principal)

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 5 years of software development experience, or
• Master’s degree with 3 years of software development experience, or
• PhD with 1 year of software development experience.
• May consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.

Level 4 (Sr Principal)

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 8 years of software development experience, or
• Master’s degree with 6 years of software development experience, or
• PhD with 4 years of software development experience.
• May consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience developing Mission Management and Control software for Satellite Ground Systems.
• Experience in developing secure/reliable code (Unit Test, Code Coverage, SonarQube scans, Fortify).
• Proficiency in developing container-based applications (podman/docker, horizontal scaling, etc.).
• Proficiency in developing software using C++ and Python.
• Experience implementing a Data Centric software design (developing data schemas, translating between data formats).

Pay

Primary Level (Level 3) Salary Range: $108,800.00 - $163,200.00

Secondary Level (Level 4) Salary Range: $135,800.00 - $203,600.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline. Northrop Grumman considers factors such as the 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 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

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