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Ground Development Lead Software Engineer - Level 5

Northrop Grumman

Today
Top Secret/SCI
$177,000 - $265,600
Unspecified
IT - Software
Chantilly, VA (On-Site/Office)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI

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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations. Northrop Grumman's Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams.

Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Ground Development lead Software Engineer - level 5 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within the Space Superiority Division.

This technical and leadership role is located in Chantilly, VA.

This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Position Description:

The Ground Development lead will be responsible for leading the overall software development lifecycle of the program following the NG SAFe Agile framework. In this role, you will lead a geographically diverse development team (4 remote unclassified teams + 2 on-site classified teams) to produce quarterly product increments in accordance with the program's Product Roadmap. You will be interfacing directly with the Operations, Systems Engineering, Cyber, DevOps, Training, and Integration + Test teams, as well as program leadership to drive the software capability delivery for the program. To be successful you should have a strong background in both soft skills (people leadership, communication, organization) and technical skills (software development, understanding of ground segments for space systems).

This position is responsible for the following:
  • Lead agile development teams toward incremental completion of the ground segment Product Roadmap (capabilities, interfaces, and bug fixes) with an emphasis on maintaining schedule and quality metrics.
  • Cost Account Manager (CAM) duties for the Ground Development sub-IPT, including staffing, budget, and schedule-based decision making and reporting.
  • Serve as the inter-IPT bridge between Ground Dev scrum teams, determining and communicating priorities between scrum teams.
  • Serve as the intra-IPT bridge between the Ground Dev sub-IPT and the rest of the program, including program leadership, customers, and the other sub-IPTs.
  • Effectively utilize the support of the Ground Dev leadership team, which includes the following dedicated support roles: Ground Dev Deputy, Agile Coach, Release Train Engineer, Metrics SME, Product Owners, and Scrum Masters.
  • Maintain development performance (velocity & quality) by removing obstacles and providing technical leadership to scrum teams, as needed, through implementation trade-offs and recommendations.
  • Communicate effectively and clearly present technical approaches and findings at technical and program reviews and boards
  • Lead preparation of presentation material for recurring customer reviews in coordination with program leadership, including: Integrated Design Reviews, PI Prioritization, Release Planning Reviews, Program Management Reviews, and Customer Weeklies.
  • Chair recurring agile ceremonies including: PI Planning, Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews and daily stand ups.
  • Challenge the status quo and champion change by eliminating restrictive, non-value added processes, meetings, and hierarchies.


This position is contingent upon clearance verification and transfer to the NG sponsored program as well as continued ability to maintain required clearance level.

Basic Qualifications (must have/required to be considered) :
  • Requires an active Top-Secret (TS)/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance [TS/SCI] at time of application [US Citizenship required]
  • Level 5: ( Staff )
    • Bachelor's degree with 12 years of software development experience
      • An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a completed Bachelor's
    • Master's degree with 10 years of software development experience
    • PhD with 8 years of software development experience
  • In-depth, technical background in software development
  • Knowledge of satellite communications and system operations
  • Experience writing and presenting technical information to customers and executive management
  • Experience with Agile development
  • Experience leading requirement development/testing/verification
  • Experience working with Atlassian tool suite (i.e. JIRA, Confluence, etc.)
  • Experience leading software development organizations in the range of 50-60 engineers.


Preferred Qualifications (not required, but nice to have) :
  • STEM degree
  • Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills
  • Experience driving team efficiency via streamlining processes
  • Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
  • Ability to resolve conflict and negotiate with positive outcome while maintaining good relationships with customers


About Space Sector:

Offering satellite, payload, directed energy, and electronics for security and civil markets. We're built on innovative, cost-effective aerospace/defense solutions, ensuring mission success. Join our revolution, where the impossible becomes possible.

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards

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.
group id: 10122071

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Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees are Defining Possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will allow you to work together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines. © 2025 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.
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Job Category
IT - Software
Clearance Level
Top Secret/SCI