Principal / Sr. Principal DevOps Software Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Chantilly
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE TYPE: None 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. Join Northrop Grumman on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real-life solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today. At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we’ll support expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career. Are you interested in defining possible? Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a candidate to fill a DevOps Software Engineer position. This position will be located in Chantilly, VA at the SIGINT Technology Center's (STC). The STC is where technology and teamwork come together to meet the unique needs of the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. The STC is comprised of multiple mission-focused programs with projects ranging from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) SIGINT payload and data link development to OCONUS/CONUS mission/maintenance support. STC tasks include system design, engineering development, system integration, hands-on build and test, field operations and maintenance, training, and production. This role is to support a program that works on SIGINT payloads that are integrated on various airborne and ground platforms. The team supports tasking ranging from Operations and Maintenance (O&M) to Research and Development (R&D) to low quantity Production. The current portfolio includes 9 different types of systems and 32 fielded systems that are operated globally. The team provides 24/7/365 subject matter expert (SME) support to ensure the systems are functioning properly. In support of these systems, the team coordinates with external parties including field service representatives (FSRs), payload operators, subcontractors, and our government customer for engineering and maintenance tasks. The program focuses on daily tasking dictated by the customer's mission and a 24/7/365 operational tempo managed by Internal Product Team (IPT) leads including troubleshooting issues, providing guidance for maintenance and upgrades, recreating findings reported by operators, and interfacing with our internal logistician. The DevOps Software Engineer in this position will be supporting the engineering and operations and maintenance (O&M) task orders. As part of this role, they will be supporting these systems by developing a general knowledge of systems and software architectures while building out infrastructure and process to increase efficiency, reliability, and maintainability. Roles and Responsibilities: Design, develop, document, test, and debug software development environments and software pipelines Develop procedures to ensure data pipeline integrity and reliability Build and maintain computer images (Linux and Windows) Managed software repositories Develop and execute system builds and deployments on our System Integration Labs (SILs) and development environments Support system design, testing, and building of upgraded capabilities to include software and hardware integration and test (I&T) Conduct multidisciplinary research when needed and collaborates with engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of DevOps systems for SILs, testing, or production Obtain knowledge of system and software architecture & mission operations This requisition may be filled at either the Principal DevOps Software Engineer or Senior Principal DevOps Software Engineer level. Basic Qualifications for Principal DevOps Software Engineer : Must have a Bachelor’s degree in computer science or an equivalent STEM related discipline with a minimum of 5 years of experience, Masters degree with a minimum of 3 years of experience, PhD with a minimum of 1 year of experience or Associates degree with a minimum of 7 years of experience. US citizenship is required. Willing and able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI Security Clearance. A background in software DevOps for both software and hardware integration Experience with CI/CD best practices, automated builds and tests, quality gates, software quality, and CI tools Experience with network engineering (TCP/IP, VLAN, network protocols, etc.) Knowledge and familiarity with using and building Windows and Linux Operating Systems Demonstrated experience in documentation and process development Experience using a version control system (Git, Subversion, etc). Knowledgeable with the development lifecycle, including the V-model of the systems engineering process. Strong interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, demonstrated by frequent and successful application of technical standards, theories, concepts, and techniques Basic Qualifications for Senior Principal DevOps Software Engineer : Must have a Bachelor’s degree in computer science or an equivalent STEM related discipline with minimum 8 years of experience, Masters degree with minimum 6 years of experience , or PhD with minimum 4 years of experience. US citizenship required. Willing and able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI Security Clearance. A background in software DevOps for both software and hardware integration Experience with CI/CD best practices, automated builds and tests, quality gates, software quality, and CI tools Experience with network engineering (TCP/IP, VLAN, network protocols, etc.) Knowledge and familiarity with using and building Windows and Linux Operating Systems Demonstrated experience in documentation and process development Experience using a version control system (Git, Subversion, etc). Knowledgeable with the development lifecycle, including the V-model of the systems engineering process. Strong interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, demonstrated by frequent and successful application of technical standards, theories, concepts, and techniques Preferred Qualifications for both levels: Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance Experience with Software development Experience with Development Operations (DevOps) Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IAC) and immutable OS Experience with System Administration Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, Rancher, and/or other cloud orchestration technologies Able to work independently and identify solutions to complex problems Experience with Data Analytics Experience with setting up networks using routers, switches, firewalls, etc. Experience with cabling physical networks and troubleshooting physical and virtual networks Experience with writing scripts using a variety of languages (Python, MATLAB, JavaScript). Experience with Atlassian (Jira/Confluence) tool suite · Knowledge of system architecture · Knowledge of SIGINT operations Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company. Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family. Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more! Northrop Grumman has approximately 90,000 employees in all 50 states and in more than 27 countries. We strive to attract and retain the best employees by providing an inclusive work environment wherein employees are receptive to diverse ideas, perspectives, and talents to help solve our toughest customer challenges: to develop and maintain some of the most technically sophisticated products, programs, and services in the world. Our Values. The women and men of Northrop Grumman Corporation are guided by Our Values. They describe our company as we want it to be. We want our decisions and actions to demonstrate these Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates long-term benefits for shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve. Our Responsibility. At Northrop Grumman, we are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, embracing diversity and inclusion, protecting the environment, and striving to be an ideal corporate citizen in the community and in the world. Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions. 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. 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. The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Dale City , Principal / Sr. Principal DevOps Software Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Chantilly, Virginia