Principal Data Scientist

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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 Aeronautics Sector is seeking an experienced Principal Data Scientist to join our team of qualified individuals within our Program Management Office. This position will be located at Palmdale, CA.

Please note this is an individual contributor role and is not a management/leadership opportunity.

The successful candidate is expected to be a highly motivated, resourceful, self-starter able to work collaboratively with internal and external teams in high-tempo environments. This position will be expected to assist with reviewing status of projects and budgets, resource planning, preparing for and facilitating meetings, and supporting various administrative functions.

Day to Day Duties

• Database & Query Optimization: Manage, maintain, and secure SQL databases. Write, troubleshoot, and optimize complex SQL queries to ensure high performance and data availability.
• ETL Pipeline Development: Design, develop, and manage automated ETL processes to ingest and transform complex engineering and business datasets.
• Metrics & BI Visualization: Define, track, and build interactive dashboards in Tableau and/or PowerBI to clearly communicate technical metrics to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Python Automation: Write and deploy advanced Python scripts using Airflow for data manipulation, analysis, and process automation.
• Collaborative Development & Agile: Utilize Gitlab for version control, code reviews, and collaborative development within an agile/scrum framework.
• Creates data mining architectures/models/protocols, statistical reporting, and data analysis methodologies to identify trends in large data sets. Analysis may have many applications such as to address a business issue or provide a competitive advantage for the organization. Requires strong statistical and data visualization skills.

Basic Qualifications

• 5 Years experience with bachelor’s degree in science; or 3 years with masters; 1 years with a PhD
• Experience in writing, optimizing, and troubleshooting complex SQL queries
• Experience managing and maintaining SQL databases
• Experience to define, track, and visualize business and engineering metrics using advanced BI tools like Tableau and PowerBI
• Expertise in developing and managing ETL processes
• Experience in Python programming for data analysis, manipulation, and automation
• Experience using version control systems such as Gitlab for collaborative development
• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies for project management
• Active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with an ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) approval within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business need

Preferred Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant experience with a bachelor’s degree, 3 years relevant experience with a master’s degree, or a PHD in either Data Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, or Engineering
• Expertise in developing and orchestrating robust ETL processes using Apache Airflow
• Strong experience in publishing, maintaining, and managing Tableau reports on Tableau Server
• Capability to bridge the gap between business requirements and technical specifications
• Proficiency in applying advanced statistical methods and machine learning techniques
• Experience in performing predictive and prescriptive analytics
• Strong communication skills to present findings and insights to both technical and non-technical stakeholders effectively

Primary Level Salary Range: $125,300.00 - $187,900.00

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.

• overtime
• shift differential
• discretionary bonus
• annual bonuses
• Long Term Incentives
• health insurance coverage
• life and disability insurance
• savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• 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

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