Sr Principal Software Engineer – SW Product Owner (26-435)

Northrop Grumman•Colorado Springs, CO

9d•$129,300 - $193,900•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Space Systems—Missile Defense Integration offers an excellent opportunity for an Internal Only: Sr Principal Software Engineer – SW Product Owner (26-435) to join our team of skilled and diverse professionals. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, this role is essential to supporting the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders at the strategic, regional, and operational levels. NOTE: This position is only available to current and active C2BMC personnel This position does not provide relocation assistance and requires on-site work with no remote options. Position Overview: The Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program is a critical element of the Missile Defense System (MDS). It provides an operational platform that enables the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense, and Combatant Commanders at strategic, regional, and tactical levels to plan missile defense operations, monitor battle progress, and actively control networked sensors and weapon systems to achieve global and regional mission objectives. C2BMC supports layered missile defense capabilities by providing optimized responses to threats across all ranges and flight phases. It also acts as a force multiplier by connecting, integrating, and synchronizing autonomous systems and operations worldwide. As the Global Battle Management Product Owner – Software Engineer, you will lead a high-performing software development team to design, implement, and test innovative solutions that support MDA projects and experiments. You will combine strong software engineering skills (with a focus on Java and Unix/Linux) with product ownership responsibilities, ensuring that stakeholder needs are translated into clear, actionable requirements and that delivered capabilities meet those needs.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field from an accredited university, along with 8 years of experience; or a Master’s degree in a related field with 6 years of relevant work experience; or 12 years of relevant work experience may be considered as an alternative to a degree
Applicants must have a current, active in-scope Government-issued Top Secret security clearance at the time of application, which is required to start
Experience working as a software leader on a team in a role such as Scrum Master, Product Owner, or similar technical leadership position
Knowledge of Agile principles, roles, and practices, with demonstrated experience applying Agile methods to software development
Proficiency in Java, including the ability to design, develop, and test Java applications in a large-scale, distributed environment
Experience developing in a Unix/Linux environment
Strong understanding of software development principles, including object-oriented programming (OOP), design patterns, and testing/debugging techniques
Effective oral and written communication skills, with the ability to interact with developers, engineers, subject matter experts, and customers
Ability to work effectively in a rapid-paced, team-oriented environment and within a structured development and configuration management framework
Knowledge of software practices and coding standards, and the discipline to apply them consistently
Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to review performance issues, identify root causes, recommend solutions, and drive implementation.

Nice To Haves

Experience with test-driven development (TDD) and continuous integration practices
Background in software architecture design for complex, distributed systems
Familiarity with Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) development principles
Ability to refactor code for reusability, readability, and maintainability in an object-oriented codebase
Experience with application deployment, integration, and troubleshooting in operational or mission-critical environments
Operating systems experience with both Windows and Unix/Linux platforms
Experience with common development tools such as Eclipse IDE, Maven, and Git (or comparable tools)
Experience conducting and participating in peer reviews for code, design, and documentation
Ability to extract and analyze data to support system and performance analysis
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to clearly convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience implementing algorithms and developing messaging interface solutions in distributed systems
Hands-on experience using Agile methodology for software development, including planning, backlog refinement, sprint execution, and retrospectives

Responsibilities

Serve as the Product Owner and technical lead for the Global software development team, guiding the design, development, integration, and test of a large, distributed Java-based system
Provide day-to-day leadership, direction, and mentorship to a cross-functional Agile software team, ensuring alignment to program priorities and mission needs
Perform in-depth analysis and technical support of a large, distributed system written in Java, including complex problem resolution and performance optimization
Provide technical consulting to the regional team and other stakeholders, helping to align Global and Regional capabilities and ensuring architectural and interface consistency
Gather and refine requirements from stakeholders and other teams, ensuring timely and accurate deliveries that meet mission, operational, and test objectives
Define and maintain acceptance criteria for team stories and product backlog items, ensuring the team has a clear understanding of what is required to complete work and demonstrate value
Actively remove blockers at any level—technical, process, or coordination-related—to support team progress and maintain iteration and release commitments
Assist the software team in design, implementation, testing, integration, and user support for a large and evolving code baseline
Follow specifications and program priorities to develop, refine, and prioritize stories and tasks for the software team; maintain a well‑groomed and transparent product backlog
Interface with other system support groups and software leadership to resolve problems, set standards, and improve the overall efficiency, performance, and maintainability of the system
Support planning and execution of MDA projects and experiments, including non-standard work hours during event execution when required
Collaborate closely with Government customers, subject matter experts, and system users to understand desired capabilities and communicate technical approaches, trade-offs, and results
Adapt to rapidly changing requirements and design challenges, delivering high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines