Backend Software Engineer - Agent Foundation

Northrop Grumman • New York, NY

1d • $103,600 - $193,900

About The Position

Northrop Grumman is seeking Backend Software Engineers to join the Agent Foundation team within i2 Ecosystem & Experience. The role builds APIs and backend services supporting enterprise AI agents, including agent registration, configuration, data storage, administration, and connections to LangSmith. The engineer develops secure, maintainable software and supports it in production.

The position may be hired at Level 3 or Level 4 depending on the candidate’s experience and education. Falls Church, Virginia, is the preferred location, though virtual telecommuting will be considered. No relocation assistance is available. Travel is not required. No clearance is required to start; the position requires a Secret clearance.

Requirements

• For Level 3: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, data science, or a related STEM discipline and at least 5 years of relevant professional experience, or a master’s degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience.
• For Level 4: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, data science, or a related STEM discipline and at least 8 years of relevant professional experience, or a master’s degree and at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• Experience developing production backend software using Python, TypeScript, Java, C#, Go, or comparable languages.
• Experience with APIs such as REST APIs, SQL, relational databases, and schema migrations.
• Experience with queues, caches, scheduled jobs, or asynchronous processing.
• Understanding of service authentication, authorization, and protection of sensitive data.
• Experience with Git, automated testing, debugging, and collaborative software delivery.
• Ability to explain technical decisions clearly and work effectively with other engineers.
• Experience supporting systems in secure government environments, including access controls, security requirements, and controlled change processes.
• Ability to obtain and maintain any security clearance required for the position. U.S. citizenship may be required based on the final clearance determination.
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with FastAPI, Node.js, PostgreSQL, Redis, or comparable technologies.
• Experience with Azure, containers, and automated deployment pipelines.
• Experience with LangSmith or other AI application tooling.
• Experience building versioned APIs and reusable developer capabilities.
• Experience developing CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience implementing authentication and authorization solutions using OIDC and OAuth 2.0.
• Experience developing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain backend services and APIs for agent registration, configuration, versioning, and administration.
• Design database schemas, migrations, and reliable data access.
• Implement authentication, authorization, input validation, and auditable administrative actions.
• Develop background jobs, queues, and event processing with retries and failure recovery.
• Integrate services with LangSmith, model gateways, and enterprise APIs.
• Write automated tests and use logs, metrics, and traces to diagnose production issues.
• Review code, document APIs, and support software releases and maintenance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Savings plan.
• Company-paid holidays.
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.
• Depending on the position, eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level