Software Engineer / Principal Software Engineer

Northrop Grumman

Manhattan Beach, California, United StatesFull-time$91,800–$171,000Posted Oct 21, 2026

About the role

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

TRAVEL: No

Description

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 Defense Systems (NGDS) is looking for a Software Engineer / Principal Software Engineer based in Manhattan Beach, CA. Our Team works on state-of-the-art Mission Planning systems.

Responsibilities Include:

Designs, develops, documents, tests and debugs applications software and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions while ensuring software standards are met

Maintain and improve the software CI/CD pipelines to enable fast, bug free delivery of critical business software to production

Set up and deploy Development, Test, and Build environments

Create and update Windows installers

Install, test, and verify software products

Provide support for the software build and installation

Work within a Cross-Functional scrum to develop high-priority mission planning features

Understand third-party software and hardware peripherals to support implementation of software interfaces and support integration

Develop software test products such as Verification Cross Reference Matrices to tie software requirements to software tests, Software Test Plans, Software Test Procedures, and Software Test Reports

Define and develop test approaches for new software and system capabilities

Compile data and define changes required in testing procedures or new testing requirements

Perform frequent Smoke Testing and frequent Acceptance Testing on SW builds

Resolve technical issues within a scrum, across scrums, and with the support of other functional roles

Interface on a technical level with the customer

Support authoring and development of contract deliverable documentation that support deliverable software products and test events

Help define automated test strategies

Support the Agile Framework as a Scrum Master, when required

All work must be performed on-site in Manhattan Beach, CA

Software Engineer Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in STEM and a minimum of 2 years of relevant (Computer Science, etc.) experience, or 0 years of experience with a Master’s degree (Computer Science, etc.). Relevant (Computer Science, etc.) years of experience in lieu of degree may be considered

Active DoD Top Secret Clearance

Experience with/using Agile Methodology and Continuous Integration (CI) / Continuous Deployment (CD) Tools (Bamboo, Jenkins) and Practices

Proficiency in C# and/or Java and Object-Oriented Software Design paradigms

Experience with Microsoft Windows technologies

Test procedure development and maintenance

Experience supporting/coordinating formal test events

Experience with one or more of the following scripts: yaml, Python, PowerShell, Batch, Typescript

Automated test script or test procedure development and maintenance for software testing

Experience with automated testing and test software such as TestComplete 4

A functional understanding of how revision control systems (e.g., BitBucket, git, CVS, etc.) are used

Hands-on system troubleshooting skills

Principal Software Engineer Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in STEM and a minimum of 5 years of relevant (Computer Science, etc.) experience, or 3 years of experience with a Master’s degree (Computer Science, etc.). Relevant (Computer Science, etc.) years of experience in lieu of degree may be considered

Ability to obtain a US DoD Secret Clearance

Experience with/using Agile Methodology and Continuous Integration (CI) / Continuous Deployment (CD) Tools (Bamboo, Jenkins) and Practices

Proficiency in C# and/or Java and Object-Oriented Software Design paradigms

Experience with Microsoft Windows technologies

Test procedure development and maintenance

Experience supporting/coordinating formal test events

Experience with one or more of the following scripts: yaml, Python, PowerShell, Batch, Typescript

Automated test script or test procedure development and maintenance for software testing

Experience with automated testing and test software such as TestComplete 4

A functional understanding of how revision control systems (e.g., BitBucket, git, CVS, etc.) are used

Hands-on system troubleshooting skills

Preferred (Nice to Have) Qualifications:

Proficiency in C#, .NET Framework

Experience with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) and Microsoft Windows-based Applications

Experience with Microservice development and service communication protocols such as gRPC and/or REST

Experience with Software Design Patterns

Experience with/using Relational Databases, SQL

Experience with the Atlassian Tool Suite: Bitbucket, Jira, Confluence, Crucible/Fish-eye

Familiarity with/using/deploying to Cloud technology: Azure and/or AWS

Familiarity with/using Containers in Docker and/or Kubernetes

Experience with/using and/or managing these DevOps tools: Ansible, Terraform, Chef, or Puppet

Excellent communication and organizational skills; strong interpersonal and analytic skills

Previous in-depth mission planning domain knowledge of program software design and code

Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) or Professional Scrum Master™ (PSM™) certification

Experience working with requirements in DOORS.

Demonstrated ability to implement process improvements, streamline activities, and develop efficiencies.

Strong interpersonal and analytic skills; Works well in a team-environment

Experience with Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) Framework (FW)

Exposure to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) development

Experience with Air Force mission planning

Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00

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.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and 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 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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, test, debug, and document mission-planning software.
  • Maintain CI/CD pipelines and development, test, and build environments.
  • Create Windows installers and support software installation and builds.
  • Develop and maintain software test plans, procedures, reports, and automated testing strategies.
  • Perform smoke and acceptance testing and resolve technical issues across teams.
  • Integrate third-party software and hardware interfaces and communicate with customers.
  • Support Agile scrum activities and contract deliverable documentation.

Qualifications

  • STEM bachelor's degree with at least 2 years of relevant experience, or a relevant master's degree with no experience for the Software Engineer level; Principal level requires 5 years with a bachelor's or 3 years with a master's.
  • Active DoD Top Secret clearance for the Software Engineer level; ability to obtain a DoD Secret clearance for the Principal level.
  • Experience with Agile methods, CI/CD tools such as Bamboo or Jenkins, and revision control systems.
  • Proficiency in C# and/or Java, object-oriented design, and Microsoft Windows technologies.
  • Experience developing and maintaining test procedures, supporting formal test events, and creating automated tests.
  • Experience with scripting languages such as YAML, Python, PowerShell, Batch, or TypeScript.
  • Hands-on system troubleshooting skills.
  • Preferred experience with .NET, WPF, microservices, SQL, cloud platforms, containers, DevOps tools, mission planning systems, and DOORS.

Benefits

  • Health insurance
  • Life and disability insurance
  • Savings plan
  • Company-paid holidays and paid time off
  • Potential overtime, shift differential, and discretionary bonus

Skills mentioned

C#JavaCI/CDSoftware TestingAutomationGit.NETREST APIsSQLMicroservices

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, Inc. is a company based out of 12011 Sunset Hills Rd, Reston, Virginia, United States.

2-10 employeesReston, Virginia