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Northrop Grumman

Principal / Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer

United States-Alabama-Huntsville

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hirly's read of this role

Seniority
Lead / management
Country
US
Work mode
On-site / unstated
First seen by hirly
13 Oct 2026

Derived automatically from the posting. Upload your resume above to see how the role scores against it.

the posting

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 is looking for a Principal Cyber Systems Engineer / Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer to support our Foreign Military Sales (FMS) department as part of the Global Command and Control Solutions (GC2S) Business Unit (BU). As a member of the FMS department you’ll work in a fast-paced team environment alongside engineers of all flavors to make our technologies a reality. This position will serve on-site at an NG Facility in Huntsville, AL. This position can be filled at a Principal Cyber Systems Engineer or Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer level.

Please note that this opportunity is contingent on program funding. Start dates are determined after funding confirmation.

Responsibilities:

Design, plan, implement, and perform assessment of security controls, polices, and processes that are compliant with National Security Agency (NSA) programs and DoD wide frameworks such as Risk Management Framework (RMF) and CMMC

Participate in assessment of systems security controls to validate control implementation and identify weaknesses

Document the results of Certification and Accreditation activities, technical or coordination activity, prepare the system Security Plans, and update the POA&M

Periodically conduct a complete review of each system's audits and monitor corrective actions until all actions are closed Implementation, automation, configuration and maintenance of security tools, centralized authentication solutions, IDS/IPS, and compliance baselines

Provide advanced technical analyses of cyber infrastructure challenges and problems; develop/identify technical solutions responsive to customer needs

Participate in team reviews of technical requirements, design and implementation plans prior to deployment

Recommend and implement system enhancements that will improve the performance, reliability, and security of the system including installing, upgrading, monitoring, problem resolution, and configuration

Serve as a Cyber SME supporting high-level technical and practical expertise

Assures the implementation of Cyber Security disciplines, including COMSEC, EMSEC, OPSEC, digital communications systems, network protocols and architectures, and penetration tools and techniques

Support the continuous assessment of Cyber Control compliance for systems within their responsibility

Basic Qualifications for Principal Cyber Systems Engineer:

  • 5 years of experience with Bachelors in Science; 3 Years with Masters; 1 Year with PhD
  • US Citizenship and active DoD secret clearance
  • Current DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification (Security+) or higher.
  • Experience translating technical concepts and program information to others
  • Experience with threat modeling, risk assessment, secure design principles
  • Familiarity with common frameworks/controls (e.g., NIST SP 800-53, RMF, CIS Controls)
  • Knowledge of:
  • Network security (firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs)
  • Host/application security (hardening, secure coding concepts)
  • Identity & access management, encryption, key management

Experience with vulnerability management and security testing (scans, ST&E, pen-test coordination)

Preferred Qualifications for Principal Cyber Systems Engineer:

  • In-depth knowledge of DoD 8500-series directives.
  • System Administrator Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows Systems

In-depth understanding of planning, design, and implementation necessary to support a large enterprise system

Working knowledge of NIST 800-series documents

Experience with configuring Security Incident Event Monitoring and IDS/IPS tools such as ACAS, ESS, and Splunk on Linux RedHat and Windows environments

Experience with vulnerability and compliance scanners such

Working experience deploying and configuring Linux and Windows systems in accordance with DoD STIG requirements

Experience in developing scripts to automate security processes

Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer:

  • 8 years of experience with Bachelors in Science; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Years with PhD
  • US Citizenship and active DoD secret clearance
  • Current DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification (Security+) or higher
  • Experience translating technical concepts and program information to others
  • Deep expertise in:
  • Secure architecture and design for complex, distributed, or mission-critical systems
  • Applying NIST RMF, NIST 800-53, 800-171, CNSSI 1253, or similar frameworks
  • Designing and evaluating defense-in-depth strategies (network, host, application, data, identity)
  • Experience leading security architecture trade studies
  • Experience defining cyber requirements, test approaches, and risk mitigations at system-of-systems level
  • Engage on ATO/Authorization strategy and major security reviews.
  • Comfortable owning the overall system architecture, not just one component
  • Proficiency in:
  • Requirements decomposition & allocation, especially for cyber controls
  • Interface design, integration strategies, and end-to-end V&V planning

Preferred Qualifications for Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer:

In-depth knowledge of DoD 8500-series directives.

Excellent communication (written and oral), negotiation and interpersonal skills necessary to support known activities/challenges working with engineering teams, management, customers, partners and government

System Administrator Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows Systems

In-depth understanding of planning, design, and implementation necessary to support a large enterprise system.

Working knowledge of NIST 800-series documents

Experience with configuring Security Incident Event Monitoring and IDS/IPS tools such as ACAS, ESS, and Splunk on Linux RedHat and Windows environments

Experience with vulnerability and compliance scanners such.

Working experience deploying and configuring Linux and Windows systems in accordance with DoD STIG requirements

Experience in developing scripts to automate security processes.

In-depth systems engineering knowledge to include understanding of systems engineering lifecycle

Experience in managing stakeholder expectations, programmatic risk management, and customer engagement

Primary Level Salary Range: $119,600.00 - $179,400.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $149,300.00 - $223,900.00

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

Original posting on Northrop Grumman's site ↗

Listed on hirly, a job board. hirly is not the employer: Northrop Grumman is hiring for this role.

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