Northrop Grumman
Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer (C++ and TS Clearance)
United States-California-Woodland Hills
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hirly's read of this role
- Role family
- Engineering
- Seniority
- Lead / management
- Country
- US
- Work mode
- On-site / unstated
- First seen by hirly
- 3 Oct 2026
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the posting
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top 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 Mission Systems is a trusted provider of mission-enabling solutions for global security. Our Engineering and Sciences (E&S) organization pushes the boundaries of innovation, redefines engineering capabilities, and drives advances in various sciences. Our team is chartered with providing the skills, innovative technologies to develop, design, produce and sustain optimized product lines across the sector while providing a decisive advantage to the warfighter. Come be a part of our mission!
We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer based out of Woodland Hills, CA. As a Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Northrop Grumman, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to be a part of our Enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps and Agile practices we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of innovation.
For this role, responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Provide technical leadership for junior software engineers
Develop software utilizing C/C++ to modernize and productionize a research codebase with modern C++ features
Develop software infrastructure to support CI/CD, software metrics collection, and MLOps
Implement software-systems, applications, and architectures that leverage techniques to support achieving increased modularity, scalability, and reliability, while also maintaining precision, accuracy, and speed to meet performance requirements
Ensure industry software engineering best practices and standards are applied and maintained
Work closely with Software Leads and Architects to understand program intent, system capabilities, and output requirements
This requisition may be filled at a higher grade based on qualifications listed below
This requisition may be filled at either a Principal Level or a Sr. Principal Level.
Basic Qualifications for a Principal Software Engineer (T03)
Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of relative experience; PhD + 1 year of relative experience
Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
Experience working in C/C++
Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
Proven ability to design and code new software, as well as modify existing software to add new features
Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools
Basic Qualifications for a Sr. Principal Software Engineer (T04)
Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 8+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 6+ years of relative experience; PhD + 4 years of relative experience
Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
Experience working in C/C++
Familiarity with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
Proven ability to design and code new software or modify existing software to add new features
Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools
Preferred Qualifications
Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving specified requirements
Experience with modern C++ standards and features (e.g., C++ 20 onwards)
Experience with containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
Experience with Linux operating systems
Experience with CUDA and GPUs
Experience with high performance numerical/scientific computing, parallel computing
Experience with developing for SWaP-constrained environments
Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
Familiarity with signal-processing algorithms
Familiarity with Agile lifecycle process including Scrum and DevSecOps
This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active DoD Top Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.
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 sta
Listed on hirly, a job board. hirly is not the employer: Northrop Grumman is hiring for this role.
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