Sr Principal Engineer Systems

About the role

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a Systems Engineer (Principal or Senior Principal Engineer Level) to support fielded airborne ISR systems and associated data center, network, and communication infrastructures onsite at Beale AFB, CA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the on-site systems engineering liaison between operations, engineering IPTs, and customer stakeholders to resolve field issues, escalations, and installations.
• Sustain and provide real-time support for mission systems, including operating systems (Windows, Linux, VMware ESXi), data center hardware (compute, storage, network), and ground communication/network infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls, SATCOM/RF).
• Perform system-level troubleshooting and root cause analysis across avionics, data center, network, and communication subsystems in field and control room environments.
• Plan, configure, integrate, and test hardware/software changes in lab and operational environments; ensure interoperability across compute, storage, and network.
• Coordinate and track cross-functional action items and change requests; maintain status and performance metrics for field modifications and fixes.
• Develop and execute test plans, integration procedures, and verification/validation activities for new or modified payloads, instrumentation, and network configurations.
• Provide technical briefings and written status updates to customers, program leadership, and internal stakeholders.
• Support mission operations, including shift work, weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime.

Requirements

• Applicable at a Principal Engineer Level (level 3): Must have a Bachelors degree in a STEM field and at least 5 years of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 3 years of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience, OR a PhD and at least 1 year of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience
• Applicable At a Senior Principal Engineer Level (level 4): Must have a Bachelors degree in a STEM field and at least 8 years of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 6 years of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience, OR a PhD and at least 4 years of relevant systems engineering or related professional engineering/ military experience.
• Experience with system integration, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis across hardware, software, and network boundaries.
• Familiarity with modern operating systems and networking concepts (e.g., Windows and/or Linux administration, TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, ACLs, VPNs).
• Experience reading and interpreting electrical and/or mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, and technical documentation.
• Experience working cross-functionally with engineering teams and technicians to implement system changes and resolve issues under schedule pressure.
• Active USG Top Secret SCI clearance (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Access Program (SAP) access via a Program Access Request (PAR). This SAP/PAR must be obtained prior to commencement of employment and must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs.
• Ability to work non-standard hours (shift work, nights, weekends, holidays) and support occasional travel (up to ~25%).

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including clear technical documentation and briefings.
• Experience supporting airborne ISR platforms and associated ground systems in field or test environments.
• Experience configuring and troubleshooting network equipment (e.g., Cisco or equivalent switches/routers, firewalls such as Cisco ASA/Firepower or Palo Alto) and virtualized environments (VMware ESXi or similar).
• Familiarity with network management and security protocols (e.g., SNMP, SSH, syslog, RADIUS/TACACS).
• Experience with Agile practices and/or tools (e.g., JIRA) for managing engineering actions.
• Proficiency in one or more programming/scripting languages (e.g., C, C++, Python, Bash).
• Prior military, flight test, or depot-level field engineering support experience.
• DoD 8140 IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification (e.g., Security+ CE, CCNA Security, CCNP, CISSP) strongly preferred.

Benefits

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. In addition, 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.