Sr. Staff Software Engineer (Full Stack Software Discipline Lead)

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available

Clearance Required

Yes

Clearance Type

Secret

Travel

Yes, 25% of the Time

Position Overview

At Northrop Grumman, 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 are making history.

The Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Sector (NGAS) Software Engineering Center of Technical Excellence (CoTE) is creating an everything‑as‑code ecosystem powered by an AI‑augmented workforce and a resilient software factory. Our mission is to deliver mission effects at the speed of relevance by continuously evolving the tools, processes, training, and metrics that make the software‑engineering ecosystem efficient, measurable, and future‑ready. As a leader in the CoTE team you will be at the heart of this transformation, driving relentless improvement and ensuring our software capabilities not only meet but anticipate emerging challenges — and turn them into strategic opportunities.

Core Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and define strategic vision for technical priorities within Software discipline, aligned to long‑term sector strategy.
• Regularly interface with EI&E discipline leads to identify program needs and close gaps in engineering tools, processes, digital solutions, and technical training.
• Lead the development, deployment, and sustainment of sector‑wide engineering tools, standardized processes, digital solutions, and technical training — ensuring they are relevant, scalable, and interoperable across programs.
• Build and sustain a strong Software Community of Practice (CoP), ensuring alignment of sub‑CoPs, strategies, and priorities while fostering collaboration across programs and sub‑disciplines.
• Act as a trusted advisor to help resolve technical performance shortfalls through root‑cause analysis, corrective action planning, long‑term verification of improvement.
• Capture, share, and embed lessons learned and best practices across programs to continuously raise the bar for technical performance.

Core Technical Competencies

• Cloud & Distributed Computing: Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, OpenStack), containerization (Docker, OCI), Kubernetes, service‑mesh (Istio), CI/CD (Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps), IaC (Ansible).
• Geospatial Engineering: GIS data formats (DTED, GeoTIFF, OGC standards), CesiumJS, Web‑GL, map‑tiling services, spatial‑database (PostGIS), coordinate‑system transformations, terrain‑rendering pipelines.
• Engineering Foundations: Human‑Machine interface, Human Factors Engineering, and CI‑integrated security scanning.
• Software Construction: Java, Web Frameworks, UI/UX Standards.
• Human Factors Engineering (HFE): MIL‑STD‑1472, task‑analysis methodologies, workload‑assessment tools, usability testing frameworks (Selenium, Cypress), cognitive‑load metrics, UI‑design systems, accessibility (WCAG).
• Interoperability Standards: Universal Command Interface (UCI), STANAG 4586, NATO/DoD message protocols, API design, and data‑format standards.
• Cross‑Domain Governance: Ground systems often sit at the boundary between networks at different classification and compartment boundaries. This discipline lead drives the process for Cross‑Domain Solutions (CDS), ensuring data flows securely between security enclaves without spillage.
• Cybersecurity Governance: RMF/NIST 800‑53: Common software and infrastructure reuse opportunities; automated security‑control assessment tools; continuous monitoring pipelines.
• Open Systems Architectures: Proficiency in OMS, Universal Command and Control Interface (UCI), and other GRA standards; ability to define and integrate interoperable service‑oriented components.

What You’ll Achieve

• Accelerate the process of delivering Full Stack software based subsystems, such as Ground Systems & C2 Software, Training Systems, Mission Planning, etc. by > 15% through a unified, governed tool‑process‑training ecosystem that enables early validation on high‑fidelity digital twins.
• Raise software‑engineering productivity and safety metrics across NGAS programs — by measurable via KPIs such as defect density, test‑coverage %, mean‑time‑to‑detect, and tool‑uptime.
• Create a vibrant, cross‑program Community of Practice for your discipline area that spreads best practices and lessons learned across programs, fosters increased software reuse, and improves the disciplines overall capabilities.
• Champion the tools, processes, training, and metrics for all subsystems that are primarily using full stack software technologies, ensuring they remain state‑of‑the‑art, secure, and fully aligned with DoD strategic objectives (JADC2, Anywhere C2, multi‑vehicle swarm).

Basic Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and 14 or more years of experience in software engineering OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 12 or more years of experience in software engineering OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 9 years of software engineering experience.
• Subject Matter Expert in one or more technology areas: front‑end client‑side languages/frameworks such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React or TypeScript; back‑end server‑side programming languages such as Python, Java, Node.js; API design experience such as REST, GraphQL or gRPC; database knowledge in either SQL, NoSQL or MongoDB; networking basics, such as or websockets; cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure and containerization.
• Subject Matter Expert in one or more Core Technical Competency areas: Geospatial Engineering, Human Factors Engineering (HFE), Interoperability Standards, Cross‑Domain Governance, Cybersecurity Governance, Open Systems Architectures.
• Must have an active U.S. government Secret clearance that is in‑scope (granted or renewed in the last 6 years) and eligibility for TS/SCI.
• Must be able to attain and maintain Special Program Access (PAR).
• Ability to travel as needed (approx. 25%).

Preferred Qualifications

• Subject Matter Expert in many of the following technology areas: front‑end client‑side languages/frameworks such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React or TypeScript; back‑end server‑side programming languages such as Python, Java, Node.js; API design experience such as REST, GraphQL or gRPC; database knowledge in either SQL, NoSQL or MongoDB; networking basics, such as or websockets; cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure and containerization.
• Subject Matter Expert in most of the Core Technical Competency areas: Geospatial Engineering, Human Factors Engineering (HFE), Interoperability Standards, Cross‑Domain Governance, Cybersecurity Governance, Open Systems Architectures.
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering tools, process, training, and/or metrics optimization using a continuous improvement mindset.
• Demonstrated strategic, systems‑level thinker who can build alignment across functional and program boundaries.
• Active TS/SCI.
• Current Special Program Access (PAR).
• Advanced degree in a relevant field (MS/PhD).

Pay Ranges by Location

• Oklahoma: $157,800 - $236,600
• Florida: $166,500 - $249,700
• California: $192,800 - $289,200

Primary Level Salary Range: $157,800.00 – $289,200.00

Benefits and Additional Compensation

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 and allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. 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.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.