Staff Ground Software Engineer – Mission Planning & Astrodynamics

Northrop Grumman•McLean, VA

8d•$177,000 - $265,600•Onsite

About The Position

Join Northrop Grumman on our mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. As part of our Tactical Space organization, you will contribute to ground software that plans, executes, and analyzes space missions supporting critical national and civil objectives. We are seeking a Staff‑level Ground Software Engineer (T5) with Mission Planning & Astrodynamics experience to lead the design and development of mission planning and satellite operations software within our ground segment. This position is based in McLean, VA and requires onsite work in a secure environment. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy working at the intersection of software engineering and orbital mechanics—building robust, operational tools using COTS astrodynamics platforms and custom software.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline and 12+ years of relevant software/mission experience; OR Master’s degree in STEM and 10+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD in STEM and 8+ years of relevant experience.
Strong background in software development for complex systems, with emphasis on: Python (preferred primary language for this role)
Experience with all phases of the software development life cycle and Agile software development practices.
Experience with: Linux development environments and scripting (e.g., Bash), Containerization (e.g., Docker, Podman) and CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab, Bitbucket/Jira, Git, etc.), Configuration management using industry‑standard tools and processes.
Demonstrated experience supporting at least one of the following: Astrodynamics / orbital mechanics / flight dynamics, Mission planning and satellite operations.
Hands‑on experience performing some combination of: Orbit determination, Maneuver planning and station‑keeping, Conjunction assessment / collision avoidance, Ephemeris propagation and trajectory analysis, Contact/passes planning and satellite mission analysis.
Ability to work onsite full‑time in McLean, VA in a secure environment.
Active DoD Top Secret clearance is preferred at time of application; candidates with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS and any required special program access will also be considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience with at least one additional language (e.g., C/C++, Java) is a plus.
Active TS/SCI clearance with current or recent program access.
Degree in Aerospace Engineering or Physics with significant coursework or experience in astrodynamics and space mission operations.
Direct experience using FreeFlyer and/or STK for mission analysis, mission planning, and/or on‑orbit operations, including integration or automation.
Experience supporting: Launch and early orbit operations (LEOP), Station keeping and collision avoidance, Rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), Long‑term mission planning and on‑orbit anomaly resolution.
Experience with: Model‑based systems engineering tools (e.g., Rhapsody, Cameo), Atlassian tools (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence, Crucible, Bamboo), Virtualization technologies (e.g., VirtualBox, QEMU, KVM, VMware).
Operating in a DevOps / CI/CD environment and contributing to automation and pipelines.
Prior experience on a Northrop Grumman space or ground program, especially in mission planning, astrodynamics, or satellite operations.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain ground software services and tools with a focus on mission planning, orbit analysis, and satellite operations.
Perform full lifecycle software development: Requirements analysis and decomposition, Architecture and design within the mission planning domain, Implementation, unit testing, and integration, Deployment and sustainment in operational environments.
Collaborate with systems engineering, mission operations, and other ground software teams to integrate mission planning capabilities with the broader ground segment.
Implement and maintain automation, pipelines, and tools (e.g., Python‑based workflows, CI/CD jobs) to support mission analysis and operations.
Contribute to technical documentation, design artifacts, and customer briefings for mission planning solutions.
Lead and/or support the design and implementation of software capabilities for: Orbit determination and ephemeris propagation, Maneuver planning and station‑keeping strategy, Conjunction assessment and collision avoidance, Contact/passes planning and satellite mission analysis, Launch and early orbit operations (LEOP), station keeping, on‑orbit support, and anomaly response.
Work closely with astrodynamics, flight dynamics, and operations teams to turn mission concepts and operational needs into robust, repeatable software solutions.
Integrate and operationalize COTS astrodynamics tools, including: FreeFlyer, STK, Scripts and interfaces that connect these tools to other ground systems and data sources.
Support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) analysis and planning, as applicable to mission needs.
Help shape the technical roadmap for mission planning tools and services, including performance, automation, and operational usability improvements.