Staff Software Engineer

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Rome
Posted on: April 3, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time Description 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 Defense Systems is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to act in a Deputy Chief Engineer role for programs at our Rome, NY office. The successful candidate will be exceptionally meticulous, collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented with a focus on team empowerment & personal responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of seeking the best performance from everyone. The role will consist of approximately 25% support for Scientific and Technical Intelligence Systems (S&TIS) program roles and responsibilities in collaboration with the Chief Engineer, and 75% engineering support for software development projects. Note that this role requires the candidate to work full-time at the Rome, NY Northrop Grumman office and/or the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Department of the Airforce CLOUDWorks (DAFCW) customer site. This position will be formally listed in the organizational succession plan for the Chief Engineer. The succession plan consists of development opportunities and mentorship to prepare for a potential future Chief Engineer role. Roles & Responsibilities: Program Support Provide program-level technical reviews for accuracy, appropriateness, and customer sensitivity. Review Final Technical Reports, Summary Reports, Program (or Project) Management Plan (PMP) and Configuration Management Plan (CMP) updates, and Proposal efforts. Support Program reviews: Intranet Program Review System (IPRS), Program Review Authority (PRA), Program Management Reviews (PMRs), and audits, including resolution follow-up. Technical Engineering Leadership Ensure software standards are met. Maintain awareness of NG, Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), and customer standards/guidelines; provide direction and consulting to staff. Review, interpret, and direct staff on security marking guidance (security marking/rollup rules; Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) vs. For Official Use Only (FOUO), etc.) and DoD/IC and NG info protection requirements. Monitor, report, and coordinate Cybersecurity/CUI/Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). Review and Process Non-Developmental Software (NDS) requests - NDS evaluation questions, including open-source software (OSS) license interpretation/assessment. Review and advise in export control/reporting (quarterly, annual). Assist with Software Development Plan (SDP)/Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) creation/updates and mandatory reading by developers. Coordination Support the Beavercreek Software Working Group (BSWG). Interpret directives to generate standards and guidelines. Coordinate with the engineering staff to establish best practices and facilitate information sharing. Participate in Graph DB Working Group (GDBWG). Participate in Weekly Staff Meeting/Quality Management Board (QMB) (program status/issues). Participate in weekly sync meeting with the Government. Participate in Program Risk and Opportunity Management. Attend NASIC Technology Forums; distribute information to staff. Attend individual Integrated Project Team (IPT) meetings and sprint reviews as time allows. Coordinate and liaison with AFRL customer personnel and with their partners (NASIC). Participate in and attend DAF CLOUDWorks Technical Exchange Meetings (TEMs) and Product Increment Planning events where appropriate. Organizational support Assist in developing and executing development plans, to support succession planning, in preparation for a potential Chief Engineering role. Provide proposal support, including authoring past performance citations. Support Defense Systems (DS) Principles and Operating Practices (PrOP) Engineering Documents: Assist the Intelligence Systems Infrastructure, Tools, and Enhancements (InSITE) Chief Engineer who is responsible for the sector PrOP document POC for the following engineering documents: E500-DSO-GBMR, Software Design E520-DSO-GBMR, Non-Developed Software Inspections Basic Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field with 12 years of experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM-related field with 10 years of experience; OR a PhD in a STEM-related field with 8 years of directly applicable experience. An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance. Full knowledge and experience with the software development lifecycle. 3 years’ experience as technical lead, Integrated Product Team Lead, or other leadership role with demonstrated team building, organizational, and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated technical leadership skills, decisiveness, and ability to make sound technical judgments with limited information Ability to prioritize and adjust tasks to accomplish project results. Preferred Qualifications: Active TS/SCI security clearance. Experience working with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) customers and National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC). Demonstrated track record of exemplary professionalism and ability to maintain composure in stressful situations. Demonstrated ability to build diverse/inclusive teams with engaged team members. Demonstrated mentoring and coaching skills, and excellent 2-way communication skills (upward and downward). Experience working with cloud-based microservice applications. Knowledge or experience of the zero-trust security model and PKI-based authentication. Experience or awareness of using DevOps to support software development. Experience or awareness with continuous integration / continuous deployment (CI/CD). Experience authoring or reviewing Final Technical Reports, Summary Reports, PMP, or CMP updates. Experience in developing proposal inputs. Primary Level Salary Range: $161,000.00 - $241,400.00 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.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Troy , Staff Software Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Rome, New York