2027 Intern Product Support – Data Scientist

Northrop Grumman

San Diego, California, United StatesFull-time$22–$39Posted Oct 30, 2026

About the role

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

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 is seeking Data Scientists – Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics to join the Aeronautics Sector Intern Program. This position will be located in San Diego, CA.

The qualified candidate will become part of Northrop Grumman’s Product Support organization.

As an intern, you’ll participate in a summer internship program to develop competencies in a variety of data science, machine learning, and predictive analytics specializations that may include:

Collaborating closely with software engineers, analysts, and data scientists to understand data requirements and deliver robust, integrated solutions.

Architecting and developing custom, maintainable data science solutions from the ground up.

Building high-performance statistical and machine learning tools to derive insights from complex data sets.

Performing deep data modeling and abstracting reusable patterns for long-term scalability.

Writing modular, maintainable code and contributing to tests and documentation for data architectures, workflows, and processes.

Applying and championing software engineering best practices in the data domain, including unit/integration testing, CI/CD automation (e.g., Git, Docker), and strong documentation.

Tuning and optimizing complex algorithms within an on-premise infrastructure for performance and reliability.

Basic Qualifications:

A candidate, regardless of age and hiring source, must meet ALL of the below criteria. The candidate must:

Be enrolled full-time and pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited college/university AND graduating after August 2027

Be majoring in Data Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) degree

Be available to work full-time (40 hours per week) for at least 10 weeks during summer 2027

Be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite) as well as Program Special access within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite)

Preferred Qualifications:

Have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.25 out of 4.0 or higher

Previous internship/co-op experience, leadership & teamwork capabilities, interpersonal communication skills, and activities (professional/community/extracurricular).

Recent academic experience in machine learning, deep learning, software development, and/or data engineering

Strong programming skills in Python and SQL

Experience with C/C++

Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control tools (e.g., Git, Docker)

Familiarity with libraries and frameworks such as SQLAlchemy, NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn, and PyTorch

Ability to troubleshoot and optimize complex data queries and workflows

Familiarity with big data concepts, machine learning pipelines, and MLOps

Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize across the entire data stack

Intern Pay Range

Undergraduate degrees (Including graduating students planning on attending/enrolled in a full-time Master’s program): $21.50-$39.00

Master’s: $30.50-$48.00

Primary Level Salary Range: $1.00 - $1.00

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

  • Collaborate with software engineers, analysts, and data scientists to deliver integrated data science solutions.
  • Develop maintainable data science solutions and statistical and machine learning tools.
  • Model data and build reusable patterns for scalable solutions.
  • Write modular code and contribute to tests and documentation.
  • Apply software engineering best practices, including testing, CI/CD, and version control.
  • Optimize algorithms for performance and reliability in on-premise infrastructure.

Qualifications

  • Be enrolled full-time in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program and graduate after August 2027.
  • Major in Data Science, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related STEM field.
  • Be available to work full-time for at least 10 weeks during summer 2027.
  • Be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
  • Preferred: cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.
  • Preferred: experience in machine learning, deep learning, software development, or data engineering.
  • Preferred: strong Python and SQL skills; C/C++ experience is a plus.
  • Preferred: familiarity with Git, Docker, CI/CD, data science libraries, big data, and MLOps.

Benefits

  • Relocation assistance may be available.
  • Benefits may include health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, paid holidays, and paid time off.
  • Eligible employees may receive overtime, shift differential, or a discretionary bonus.

Skills mentioned

PythonSQLMachine LearningData ScienceDeep LearningData EngineeringCI/CDGitDockerSoftware Testing

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