Principal / Sr. Principal Software/Firmware Tester (TS/SCI Clearance required)

At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions.  In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning.  We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions.  By joining in our shared mission, we will support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field or an industry thought-leader.  At Northrop Grumman, you will have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is looking to fill the role of Software Test Engineer / Firmware Test Engineer. This position will be located in Chantilly, VA.

This is a challenging hands-on technical opportunity for a Test Engineer to join a high performing team in a dynamic, fast paced environment with evolving requirements. Northrop Grumman is seeking a Test Engineer who has experience with both software and firmware.  The Test Engineer should be familiar with software development life cycle processes and with various software testing methods to include system, integration, and regression testing. The Test Engineer will support test activities for new, mission-critical hardware and software products developed by internal and external development teams.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Test custom hardware products and software tools with various wireless communications  
• Conduct firmware segment-level testing and verification of hardware/software communication interfaces
• Work as a member of an agile software development test team learning new tools and processes and define product functionality
• Validate software requirements through functional, usability, performance, security, compatibility, ad-hoc and regression tests.
• Develop, maintain and execute test plans and procedures for software systems
• Participate in cross-functional team meetings, decision-making and technical discussions
• Review user stories, backlog items, analyze testability of requirements and provide feedback
• Apply analytical and problem solving skills to clarify user stories and determine appropriate testing scenarios to validate the iterative development of products against functional and technical specifications
• Identify and track software defects during sprint cycles
• Timely identification of issues and effectively communicate adequate priority level and impact to software developers, project manager, and appropriate parties to facilitate issue resolutions
• Demonstrate work to key stakeholders to ensure solutions meet customer requirements
• Conduct test case reviews and ensure all test activities are properly executed and documented according to our client's standards
• Configure hardware and software test equipment

This position may be filled as a level 3 or 4.

Basic Qualifications:

• Level 3: Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 5 years’ related experience, a Master’s Degree with a minimum of 3 years of experience required, a PhD with no experience required, or a total of 9 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Level 4: Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 9 years’ related experience, a Master’s Degree with a minimum of 7 years of experience required, a PhD with a minimum of 4 years of experience required, or a total of 13 years of experience in lieu of a degree.

• Candidate MUST have active Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain a Polygraph to be considered
• Experience with various aspects of software and/or hardware testing
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize and self-manage multiple project tasks
• Proficiency with computer hardware and software systems
• Experience translating requirements and user stories into functional test plans
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to write well-articulated test plans and facilitate product demonstrations
• Ability to troubleshoot and isolate system failures
• Ability to clearly identify and document defects, and collaborate with the development team to prioritize bugs until resolution
• Ability to articulate open issues and risks in a timely manner to management and make recommendations

Preferred Qualifications:

• An active TS/SCI with Polygraph Clearance
• Development Test experience working with integrated product teams
• Experience with FPGA/firmware testing
• Familiarity with wireless communications
• Familiarity with Agile Scrum methodologies
• Experience with agile management software, such as Azure DevOps or Team Foundation Server
• Experience with test automation to include design, development and debugging of tests
• Self-starter with the ability to pick up and learn new products with little supervision, as well as adapt to a variety of situations and tasks
• Ability to provide testing best practices to other team members
• Experience with providing test estimation to management and project teams

The health and safety of our employees and their families is a top priority. The company encourages employees to remain up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. U.S. Northrop Grumman employees may be required, in the future, to be vaccinated or have an approved disability/medical or religious accommodation, pursuant to future court decisions and/or government action on the currently stayed federal contractor vaccine mandate under Executive Order 14042 https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for most positions.