Principal/Sr. Principal Software Test 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.

The NASA Sky Range program is developing and integrating new capabilities to support flight operations for advanced sensors on a fleet of unmanned aircraft providing range support for hypersonic capability development. The Sky Range team is looking for a Principal/Sr. Principal Software Test Engineer to support flight and ground control room data systems as well as real-time satellite communications . We are looking for a flexible, motivated individual to be based at the NASA Armstrong facility at Edwards Air Force to help maintain and grow our capabilities as well as support integration of new sensors.

Position Description:

This is a mid-level engineering position for a DATA Systems Engineer, which encompasses aspects of communications , software, network, and/or DevOps engineering. This individual will be expected to work with a small team to develop and provide operational support for satellite and network communications between operators in a control room, and the unmanned aircraft. In addition, they will be expected to provide support and troubleshooting as necessary for real-time data acquisition, data processing, and situational awareness display tools running on embedded Linux systems.

The Data Systems Engineer will be expected to:

• Support data collection and communications systems aboard unmanned aircraft

• Assist integration of sensor teams with aircraft systems, including coordinating and implementing pre-installation “System In the Loop” (SIL) testing

• Staff field campaigns (2 – 4 weeks at a stretch) to provide operational support and troubleshooting.

• Maintain and deploy primarily Linux-based systems aboard aircraft and ground-based infrastructure

• Create documentation and training material

• Work with Sky Range, NASA and customer/sensor teams to ensure system security and compliance with Agency and Federal IT security standards

• Assist with the development of new software and communications capabilities aboard the SkyRange fleet

• Work closely with sensor teams to define mission requirements and implement solutions

• Troubleshoot hardware and/or software.

This position involves up to 25% travel, and includes shift work in support of missions/deployments. This position is based out of Edward Air Force base in Southern California, and includes outdoor, plane-side testing.

Basic Qualifications for Principal Engineer:

• Bachelor’s degree or greater in science from an accredited university and 5 years industry experience or Master's degree with 3 years of experience

• Experience with Linux and Linux Systems Administration

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance

Basic Qualifications for Sr. Principal Engineer:

• Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree with 9 years of experience or Master’s Degree with 7 years of experience
• Experience with Linux and Linux Systems Administration
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance

Preferred Qualification:

• Communicate effectively with a broad spectrum of coworkers, management and clientele

• Software development experience

• Python, C/C++, and/or XML

• Familiar with basic networking technologies and diagnostic tools

• Familiar with standard network services, including HTTP/HTTPS, NTP and SSH

• Experience with DevOps tools, such as Ansible

• Experience with virtualization and containerization tools such Docker or LXD

• Familiarity with Jira Administration

• Familiar with avionic bus interfaces such as ARIC 429 and Mil-Std-1553 is a plus

• CISCO training and/or certification(s)

• Familiarity with IT security standards/benchmarks such as CSGCB, CIS, NIST, FISMA

• Troubleshooting skills

Salary Range: $95,000 USD - $142,000 USD

Salary Range 2: $117,700 USD - $176,500 USD

Employees may be eligible for 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 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.