Principal Engineer Software - Embedded (Multiple Locations CA)

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: El Segundo
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI 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 Aeronautics Systems is looking to add an Principal Engineer Software - Embedded to join our team either in San Diego, El Segundo or Palmdale, California . In this role you will design, develop, integrate, and test software for our end-user customers and businesses. Specifically, you will be responsible for the design, architecture, development, and administration of embedded and real time systems. You will work with multi-disciplinary teams, such as with Systems Engineering, Cloud & Application, Test Automation, DevSecOps and Systems Test, in an Agile software development environment. You will analyze system capabilities to resolve problems on program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques, and controls. Roles and Responsibilities will include: Work in a fast-paced environment with high expectations, significantly diverse assignments, and collaborative team settings across all levels Participate in the full software development life cycle including requirements, design, implementation, qualification, and delivery of software products to our customers Operate in an embedded technology development environment working with real time operating systems for use in flight and mission critical systems Work in Agile Scrum teams to develop software products for multiple software baselines The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is no remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required. Basic Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience. Experience with the full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Experience with the following programming and scripting languages: C, C++, and Python Experience with two of the following tools: Jira, Crucible, Bitbucket, Subversion, Bamboo, Jenkins, Sonarqube, Fortify, or Coverity Experience with Agile software development, embedded system programming, software integration, and testing Familiarity with at least two of the data interfaces: 1553, 1394, 422, 429, Serial, CAN, Discrete & Analog I/O, Ethernet/IP, or Fibre Channel Recent experience and proficiency in software architecture, design, implementation, integration, and debugging C++ software. Active DoD Top Secret SCI Security Clearance (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation). Ability to obtain and maintain initial Special Program Access (SAP/PAR). This SAP/PAR must be obtained prior to commencement of employment and must be obtained within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the company to meet its business needs. Preferred Qualifications: Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance. Experience with automating unit test Experience with the CI/CD pipeline Experience with developing multi-threaded software used for one of the following real-time applications: flight critical software, Safety critical software, medical software, or mission critical software Can identify moderate execution defects by only reading code Understanding of how their embedded software component will fit into a larger software system / architecture Able to document, capture, and present software architectural components in modeling or diagramming tools Familiarity with OS partitions and isolation architectures High level understanding of architectural requirements for airworthiness certifications Understanding of the following: layered software architectures (e.g. Application, System, Device) Software hardware interfaces and where they exist in the architecture Event driven (Interrupts), polling and synchronous software architectures Recent experience and proficiency with software change control, change management, static analysis, and CI/CD tools such as: Atlassian tool suite, Jira, GitHub, GitLab, SonarQube, Coverity, AND/OR Jenkins within the last three years. Experience with Static & Dynamic Code Analysis Tools such as: Coverity, Fortify, AND/OR SonarQube within the last three years 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Gardena , Principal Engineer Software - Embedded (Multiple Locations CA), IT / Software / Systems , El Segundo, California