Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Feature Lead)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

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’s Space Sector is seeking a Sr. Principal Software Engineer (Level 4) to join our team of highly qualified, diverse professionals within the Western Region Software Engineering Directorate. This position is located onsite in Redondo Beach, CA.

The Western Region Software Engineering organization comprises over 800 skilled professionals—including Software Engineers, DevOps Engineers, Database Administrators, and Network Engineers—at every career stage, from early‑career engineers to senior chief engineers and architects. The organization supports numerous programs and offers ample opportunities for advancement into higher‑level technical roles or leadership positions. Our culture promotes cross‑program collaboration, continuous professional development, and a strong sense of community.

Job responsibilities of the Sr. Principal Software Engineer include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Design, develop, document, integrate, test, and debug software solutions for end‑user customers and internal business applications.
• Debug, troubleshoot, and integrate components within large‑scale distributed systems.
• Lead the architecture, development, and lifecycle management of ground‑systems software.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams—including Systems Engineering, Digital Engineering, Hardware, and Integration & Test—within an Agile development environment.
• Analyze system capabilities to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to program intent, output requirements, data acquisition, programming methods, and control strategies.
• Create modular, reusable software architectures that reduce code footprint while improving maintainability and scalability.
• Utilize CI/CD pipelines for automated builds, testing, and deployment.
• Work with mission‑planning workflows to incorporate operational constraints and real‑world mission requirements.
• Support and develop tools for LEO satellite constellations or ground systems.
• Apply strong problem‑solving skills to quickly grasp complex concepts.
• Prepare charts, present data, and make recommendations to internal teams, program leadership, and external customers using excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of relevant software engineering experience or Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of stated experience or Ph.D. in a STEM discipline with 4+ years of stated experience.
• Active U.S. Government Secret clearance required at the time of application.
• Demonstrated ability to create modular, reusable software architectures that reduce code footprint while improving maintainability and scalability.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with CI/CD pipelines for automated system builds, testing, and deployment.
• Strong understanding of mission‑planning workflows, with a proven track record of integrating operational constraints and real‑world mission requirements.
• Direct experience supporting or developing tools for LEO satellite constellations or ground systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expertise in developing and refactoring mission‑critical ground software, including backend systems (Python, C, C++) and operator‑facing front‑end tools (React JS or similar).
• Proven leadership in managing tasks and mentoring team members across dynamic program schedules with tight deadlines.
• Experience building software for proliferated constellations and their associated ground systems, covering mission planning, data telemetry, and command‑and‑control workflows.
• Proficiency with Python, FastAPI, MongoDB, Flask, Docker, AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, Angular, SQS, EFS, and S3.
• Com