Principal Software Quality Engineer

About the role

## About the Role

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is seeking a **Principal Software Quality Engineer** to join its team in Melbourne, Florida. This highly technical role focuses on software quality engineering, code reviews, process compliance, requirements analysis, quality metrics, software testing, discrepancy investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions across software development programs.

The successful candidate will bring strong software engineering knowledge, coding experience, and familiarity with software development life cycles and enterprise software tools. This role works closely with software development teams, customers, suppliers, and cross-functional program organizations to ensure software products and processes meet applicable requirements, standards, and quality expectations.

## Key Responsibilities

• Provide highly technical feedback during code reviews to ensure compliance with standards and best practices and that code is correct, efficient, and maintainable.
• Implement tools that support the collection and analysis of data relevant to Software Quality activities.
• Perform process audits of software development processes to ensure compliance with organizational policies, including audits at supplier sites.
• Review customer, system, and software requirements to ensure complete and unambiguous requirements flow-down.
• Participate in contractual reviews, audits, program meetings, and configuration control board meetings.
• Examine products associated with the preparation and configuration control of software test environments to assess readiness for formal testing.
• Collect and analyze quality metrics related to software activities.
• Peer review software documentation for appropriate content and adherence to standards.
• Interpret customer technical, software, and quality requirements and ensure they are incorporated into program plans, specifications, and product documentation.
• Ensure compliance with contract, program, quality, organizational, and industry alert requirements.
• Provide oversight of discrepancy reviews and software failure investigations.
• Support cause and corrective action determinations.
• Analyze and interpret quality trends and execute improvements against key metrics.
• Facilitate thorough root cause analysis of deficiencies and ensure appropriate corrective actions are developed and implemented in a timely manner.
• Monitor formal software testing to ensure tests follow approved procedures, requirements are fully verified, and test procedures and software anomalies are documented and tracked through closure.

## Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in **Computer Science, Software Engineering, another STEM discipline, or equivalent**, plus at least **5 years of software experience**; or
• Master's degree in one of the above disciplines plus **3 years of experience**; or
• PhD in one of the above disciplines with **0 years of experience**.
• Experience coding in **Java, C++, or Python**.
• Understanding of software engineering principles, practices, and theories.
• Ability to understand and work with multiple enterprise-wide systems and software problem-tracking tools.
• Experience or knowledge using tools such as **DOORS, Jira, Confluence, and BitBucket**.
• Knowledge of **waterfall, spiral, or Agile software development life cycles**.
• Active in-scope **Secret Clearance**.
• Ability to acquire and maintain **Special Program Access** prior to starting.

## Preferred Qualifications

• No additional preferred qualifications are explicitly identified in the source job description.

## Skills & Competencies

• Software quality engineering.
• Software engineering principles, practices, and theories.
• Code review and software standards compliance.
• Java, C++, or Python.
• Software requirements analysis and requirements flow-down.
• Software process auditing.
• Quality metrics collection and analysis.
• Software testing and test readiness.
• Configuration control.
• Software documentation review.
• Root cause analysis.
• Corrective and preventive action.
• Software discrepancy and failure investigation.
• Quality trend analysis and continuous improvement.
• Software anomaly tracking and closure.
• Enterprise software systems and problem-tracking tools.
• DOORS, Jira, Confluence, and BitBucket.
• Waterfall, spiral, and Agile development methodologies.
• Technical communication and cross-functional collaboration.

## Education & Experience

**Education**

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, another STEM degree, or equivalent; **or**
• Master's degree in one of the above disciplines; **or**
• PhD in one of the above disciplines.

**Experience**

• Bachelor's degree: at least **5 years of software experience**.
• Master's degree: **3 years of experience**.
• PhD: **0 years of experience**.
• Coding experience in Java, C++, or Python.

## Work Arrangement & Schedule

• **Work arrangement:** Onsite.
• **Job location:** Melbourne, Florida, at the Melbourne campus.
• **Remote work:** The source posting explicitly states that telecommute/remote work is **not an option**.
• **Employment type:** Not explicitly specified in the source job description.
• **Schedule:** 9/80, allowing employees every other Friday off.
• **Travel:** Approximately **10%** of the time.
• **Relocation assistance:** Not available.
• **Weekend requirements:** Not specified.

## Compensation & Benefits

• **Primary Level Salary Range:** $82,000–$123,000.
• Base salary offers may vary based on position scope and responsibilities, candidate experience, education, skills, and current market conditions.
• Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for is estimated at 20 days from the job posting date but may be shortened or extended based on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus.
• Annual bonuses are designed to recognize individual contributions and allow employees to share in company results.
• Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.
• Benefits include:
• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

## Compliance / Additional Information

Northrop Grumman is an **Equal Opportunity Employer** and makes employment decisions without regard to protected characteristics under applicable law.

An **active in-scope Secret Clearance** is required, with the ability to acquire and maintain Special Program Access prior to starting. **U.S. citizenship is required** for positions requiring a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

The application period is estimated at 20 days from the job posting date but may be shortened or extended based on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.