Northrop Grumman Corporation · Woodland Hills, California, US

Principal Software Engineer

OpenFull-timePay not stated

Open — Northrop Grumman Corporation has a posting for this job. Posted 5 Aug 2026.

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Posted 5 Aug 2026 · Full-time · Pay not stated

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About this job

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 25% 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.

We are looking for you to join our team as a Principal Software Engineer based out of Woodland Hills, CA. In this role, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to contribute to our enterprise-wide digital transformation. Through the use of DevSecOps and Agile practices, we continue to evolve how we deliver critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. This position supports the OIX program -- a platform which provides secure messaging and cross-domain solution (CDS) products and services across the federal agencies and foreign partners. Our multi-disciplinary team including software, systems, cyber, and test engineers employ the latest cutting-edge technologies to deliver information across security domains.

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will:

  • Design, develop, document, test, and debug applications software and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions.
  • Develop software utilizing modern programming languages to modernize and productionize software used to support United States Government requirements.
  • Implement software systems, applications, and architectures that emphasize modularity, scalability, reliability, precision, accuracy, and performance to meet demanding requirements.
  • Conduct multidisciplinary research and collaborate with equipment designers and/or hardware engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of electronic data processing systems for product and commercial software.
  • Determine computer user needs; analyze system capabilities to resolve issues related to program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques, and controls.
  • Prepare operating instructions and design and develop compilers, assemblers, utility programs, and operating systems as needed.
  • Develop software infrastructure to support CI/CD, software metrics collection, and MLOps.
  • Ensure industry software engineering best practices and standards are applied and maintained.
  • Work closely with Software Leads and Architects to understand program intent, system capabilities, and output requirements.
  • Support customers on site through installations, upgrades and continuous maintenance.

Basic Qualifications for a Principal Software Engineer (T03)

  • Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of relative experience; Master's degree in a STEM discipline with 3+ years of relative experience; PhD + 1 year of relative experience
  • Active Top Secret security clearance and enrolled in Continuous Evaluation
  • Ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management
  • Willingness and ability to work onsite full-time
  • Experience working in C, C++, C#, Java, Java Server Pages (JSP), Web development, test automation, data storage technologies, Windows Server, Linux
  • Familiarity with modern programming standards and features (e.g., C++ 17 onwards)
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze system requirements to derive software design and performance requirements
  • Proven ability to design and code new software, as well as modify existing software to add new features
  • Ability to debug existing software and correct defects
  • Experience with open software/system architecture solutions
  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders
  • Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
  • Experience with Git-based or other software configuration management tools

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience leading the performance of tasks on schedule, at cost and achieving specified requirements
  • Experience working in C, C++, C#, Java, Java Server Pages (JSP), Web development, test automation, data storage technologies, Windows Server, Linux
  • Experience with containers (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Experience with Windows Operating Systems
  • Experience with developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines
  • Familiarity with Agile lifecycle process including Scrum and DevSecOps

This position is contingent upon the successful transfer of an active DoD Top Secret Clearance and the ability to meet customer-specific security screening requirements within a timeframe set forth by management.

Primary 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.

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Not this job's pay

What do Corporate – Information Technology jobs in California pay?

Talentify has no pay figure for this posting. The lines below are about Corporate – Information Technology jobs on Talentify in California as a group, computed by Talentify's job index across their postings. They are not the pay for this job.

Of the 922 Corporate – Information Technology jobs on Talentify in California, 229 list pay per year.

Taking the midpoint of each listed range, the middle half pay 125,500–188,950 USD per year and the median is 155,000 USD per year.

135 of these 229 name no currency; they are counted as USD because the jobs are in the United States.

Pay as employers listed it, not adjusted or verified. Updated 2026-11-07.

Computed on 2026-11-07 from the pay in 229 listings.

Not this job's pay

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for Software Developers, the occupation this job title matches. It describes the occupation, not this job.

The median wage for Software Developers in California was 83.85 USD per hour (174,410 USD per year) in May 2025; the middle half earned 65.86–104.17 USD per hour.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025

Software Engineer pay and outlook in California

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