Software Lead – VMS & Simulation

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

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 has an opening for a Software Engineer Lead to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located onsite in El Segundo, CA.

Accomplish

You will drive the design, development, integration, and testing of real-time software for a hardware demonstration. The role centers on simulation integration, and sensor-ICD development using CoreVMS tools and architecture. A core part of the effort is pose-estimation and vector-analysis to align simulated sensor data with physical hardware in real time.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, integrate, and test simulation models, sensor ICDs, and pose-estimation pipelines for the HIL demo. 

• Implement and optimize vector-analysis algorithms.

• Coordinate cross-functional efforts with hardware, systems, and program teams to meet the 2026 milestone. 

• Conduct design reviews, support change-control boards, and present at program-management meetings. 

• Maintain the Atlassian toolset (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence) for project tracking and documentation. 

• Drive Agile processes, sprint planning, and continuous-integration pipelines. 

• Communicate technical status, risks, and solutions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Succeed

The individual we seek will be self-motivated, proactive, goal-oriented to help us grow our services, become even better at what we do and will possess the following qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university with 12 years of experience; OR Master’s Degree in Computer Science or a STEM related discipline from an accredited university with 10 years of experience; OR PhD Degree in Computer Science or a STEM related discipline from an accredited university with 8 years of experience

• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a US Government clearance and Special Access Program (SAP) within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs

• Proficient in C++ and Python

• Experience developing and deploying RTCF VMS software solutions of real-time hardware

• Experience in design and development of simulation models

• Experience and proficiency with using Atlassian toolset (Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current US Government Secret or Top Secret level security clearance

• Proficient in MATLAB

• Proficient in Lua scripts

• Experience with VxWorks

• Experience with CoreVMS solution architecture

• Experience with advanced algorithms and complex design

• Experience with Agile development processes

• Experience leading a technical team, design reviews, supporting change control boards, working groups, program management reviews

• Able to quickly learn and adapt to new tools and development environments

• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Enjoy working in a fast paced and dynamic team environment

Thrive with Us

At Northrop Grumman we are invested in the growth and well-being off all our employees. We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment.

Our Total Rewards Program offers a comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.

If you are ready to join us in defining possible, apply now.

Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00

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.