IT Systems Engineer

Northrop Grumman IT Systems Engineer

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 IT Solutions team is looking for an enthusiastic IT Systems Engineer to support the APEX program and its Digital Engineering Ecosystem (DEE). This entry-level position offers the chance to work on a high-impact systems-engineering effort that will deliver secure, modern IT infrastructure for a government-grade customer.

This position will be filled on site in Melbourne, FL.

Our culture rewards intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, and the willingness to bring your whole self to work. If you are eager to learn, collaborate, and contribute to mission-critical solutions, we encourage you to apply.

Role Overview

The Engineer works under the guidance of senior engineers and the Systems Engineering & Architecture IPT (Integrated Product Team). You will assist in designing, integrating, testing, and documenting the program's IT baseline, while gaining exposure to the full systems-engineering lifecycle (concept → sustainment) and to tools such as DOORS, MBSE suites, and cloud platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering:

• Support development of the IT technical baseline and system design (planning, design, integration, testing, production release, sustainment).
• Assist in delivering the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP).
• Assist in defining, analyzing, allocating, tracing, and managing IT technical requirements throughout the program lifecycle.

Architecture and Design

• Assist in the development and maintenance of the overall Digital Engineering Ecosystem architecture, working closely with stakeholders across IT, business, and engineering teams to ensure alignment with Program and Organization goals.
• Ensure the DEE architecture enables stakeholder access to Program Authoritative Sources of Truth (data and models) required for digital engineering and sustainment throughout the program lifecycle.
• Participate on project teams to design and implement IT solutions required to satisfy DEE requirements and Program milestones.
• Help design, test, and implement secure operating systems, networks, and COTS software.
• Perform basic risk assessments and document recommended upgrades.

Configuration & Security Management

• Ensure that Program architecture and technology solutions comply with Enterprise policies, Government requirements, and cyber compliance.
• Support configuration-management (CM) for hardware, software, and firmware (tracking versions, patches, firmware updates).
• Support the Infrastructure Configuration Control Board process to ensure that the IT systems are following approved processes.
• Ensure systems have current virus signatures and conduct automated system scans.

Documentation & Maintenance

• Work with IT Asset Management (ITAM) to maintain records for IT managed hardware (workstations, servers/storage, network devices, etc) and software (OS licenses, application licenses, etc).
• Track backup procedures, disaster-recovery plans, and patch compliance.
• Execute test plans, trace requirements, and log verification results.

Tools & Methodologies

• Use basic modeling/diagramming (e.g., simple architecture diagrams).
• Gain exposure to MBSE tools (Cameo, Orbus) and requirement-traceability matrices.
• DOORs for requirement management.

Security Clearance

• Must possess an active US Government Secret or higher security clearance (or active within the last 24 months) and be able to obtain a Top-Secret clearance.
• Clearance must meet government customer criteria for the APEX Program.

Basic Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's degree in a STEM or Business discipline and at least 2 years of relevant experience; 0 years with a Master's degree (Appropriate combination of educations and experience will be considered in lieu of the degree requirement).

Experience: 0-3 years of IT or Systems Engineering experience (internships, co-ops, or entry-level roles).

Technical Exposure: Hands-on work with IT infrastructure, virtualization, or cloud platforms (academic projects, labs, personal labs acceptable).

Security Clearance: Active US Government Secret (or recent) and ability to obtain Top-Secret.

Citizenship: U.S. citizenship required for government-cleared positions.

Soft Skills: Strong written & verbal communication, teamwork orientation, and willingness to learn.

Preferred Qualifications – Desired Technical Focus:

Virtualization: Familiarity with hyper-visors (VMware, Hyper-V) and virtual networking.

Data-Center Basics: Understanding of rack-mount hardware, power/cooling, and backup concepts.

Cloud Technologies: Exposure to AWS, Azure, or GCP services (IaaS/PaaS).

Networking: Knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, firewalls, and basic network design.

Operating Systems: Experience with Windows Server and Linux (RHEL/CentOS) administration.

Scripting/Automation: Basic PowerShell, Bash, or Python scripts for routine tasks.