Sr Principal Systems Architect Engineer – Global Sys & SW Architect (26-276)
About The Position
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 Space Systems—Missile Defense Integration offers an excellent opportunity for a Sr Principal Systems Architect Engineer – Global Systems & SW Architect (26-276) to join our team of skilled and diverse professionals. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, or Schriever Space Force Base, 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. 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 key component of the Missile Defense System. It is a vital operational system that enables the U.S. president, the secretary of defense, and combatant commanders at strategic, regional, and operational levels to systematically plan ballistic missile defense operations, collectively monitor the battle, and dynamically control networked sensors and weapon systems to achieve global and regional mission goals. C2BMC supports layered missile defense capabilities that enable an optimized response to threats across all ranges and flight phases. It serves as a force multiplier by networking, integrating, and synchronizing autonomous sensor and weapon systems and operations, both globally and regionally, to improve performance. C2BMC is essential for all ground and flight tests that verify and demonstrate the current and future capabilities of missile defense systems.
Requirements
- A Bachelor’s Degree in STEM Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field from an accredited university, along with 8 years of experience; or a Master’s degree (preferred) in a STEM-related field with 6 years of relevant work experience; or a PhD in a related discipline with 4 years of relevant work experience
- Applicants must have a current, active in-scope DoD-issued Top Secret security clearance at the time of application, which is required to start with the eligibility to be read on to SCI clearance
- Willingness to travel 10% of the time for business needs
- Deep understanding of systems engineering processes and software engineering principles
- Proven record of applying those principles to craft product solutions that are maintainable, reliable, usable, and scalable
- System architecture artifacts: Experience producing, reviewing, and maintaining artifacts such as requirements specifications, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Use Cases, System Architecture Descriptions, Trade Study reports, Data Flow Diagrams, “ilities” analyses (reliability, maintainability, usability, scalability, etc.), and other MBSE deliverables
- Complex software development: Hands-on work with Object-Oriented Analysis/Design (OOA/OOD) and the implementation of large, integrated software systems that meet strict "ilities” goals
- Team collaboration: Comfortable working in cross-disciplinary teams that include systems, software, and specialty engineers to deliver end-to-end solutions
- Communication: Excellent written skills and the ability to present technical approaches and findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Engineering planning: Capable of writing and executing detailed engineering plans in a project environment
- Federal acquisition expertise: Hands-on experience executing under FAR (e.g., operational concept development, requirements mapping, system decomposition, design pattern compliance, artifact creation, implementation, and sell-off)
- Analysis & Trade Studies: Proven ability to lead or conduct Analysis of Alternatives, trade studies, and design evaluations
- Domain knowledge (primary focus) Command and Control (C2) systems – design, integration, and operation of C2 architectures
- Domain knowledge (secondary/desired) Space and Missile Defense systems – experience with mission-critical architectures, sensor fusion, and weapon system interfaces
- Cybersecurity concepts and network architecture technologies (understanding of dependencies and design drivers)
- Personal qualities: Strong desire to learn new missions and emerging technologies
Nice To Haves
- Object-oriented languages (Java preferred) and production of OOD/OOA deliverables
- Crafting mission definition concepts with customer input, near-real-time, persistent, distributed user processing
- Experience in systems analysis, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), virtualization, containerization, and cloud computing principles
- Processing sensor data
Responsibilities
- Work under the direction of the Global Chief Architect (or delegate) with task-order engineers, software architects, and program managers to translate requirements into architecturally compliant allocations and to complete design packages that meet the mandated "ilities” criteria.
- Develop, review, and baseline derived system requirements, architectural decompositions, and engineering estimates, explicitly addressing maintainability, reliability, usability, and scalability throughout.
- Serve as the technical liaison to MDA working-level counterparts.
- Provide guidance and skill-building to junior systems engineering staff, emphasizing “ilities”-focused design thinking.
- Participate in iteration planning, internal review boards, and governance activities; educate teammates on architectural patterns in use; ensure designs are testable, traceable, and optimized for long-term operation.
- Ability to shift between tasks on short notice and support varied mission needs.
- Periodic travel to CONUS program review sites (Huntsville, AL) and local trips in the Colorado Springs area. Limited additional travel to support program needs.
Benefits
- Health Plan
- Savings Plan
- Paid Time Off
- Education Assistance
- Training and Development
- Flexible Work Arrangements
- health insurance coverage
- life and disability insurance
- savings plan
- Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
