Principal Engineer Embedded Software

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: None

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 self-motivated, proactive Principal Software Engineer to join the medium-caliber Bushmaster gun controller product line. The role offers a high-exposure, fast-paced environment where hands-on technical challenges, problem-solving, and cross-department collaboration are the norm. The engineer will be responsible for delivering high-quality, innovative software that meets system requirements, coding standards, and technical design specifications while supporting the full product lifecycle-from requirements through integration, test, and verification.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement software functionality - Create and deliver software that meets system and customer requirements while respecting industry best practices, cost targets, and technical constraints.
• Develop and integrate embedded SW for microcontroller-based hardware - Apply solid software engineering skills to design, code, and test firmware while performing hands-on hardware activities such as bench-level debugging, hardware-software integration, and peripheral configuration on microcontrollers and associated circuitry. This responsibility ensures that the candidate can bridge software development with real-world hardware implementation to deliver reliable, high-performance embedded solutions.
• Develop software requirements - Elicit, define, and document functional and non-functional requirements; lead the creation and validation of requirement specifications and ensure clear traceability to system specifications, design artifacts, and test deliverables.
• Perform requirements decomposition, verification, validation, and troubleshooting - Break down high-level requirements into implementable units, verify and validate each element throughout the development cycle, and resolve issues through systematic analysis.
• Implement software solutions - Write clean, maintainable, and testable code in C, C++, Java, LabVIEW, Python, or other required languages; integrate modules, adhere to coding standards and security best practices, and modify code as needed for functional testing.
• Plan and execute software testing -
  • Update and calibrate test equipment and fixtures.
  • Develop comprehensive test cases and automated test suites.
  • Conduct functional, integration, regression, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
  • Perform hands-on debugging, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions
  • Oversee contractor testing activities when applicable to ensure compliance with test plans and quality criteria.
• Verify and validate requirements - Execute systematic V&V activities, confirm that the implemented software satisfies all stipulated requirements, and produce traceability matrices, verification reports, and compliance documentation.
• Produce comprehensive documentation - Author design-review packages (PDR/CDR), verification & validation (V&V) reports, interface control documents (ICDs), user manuals, and detailed test procedures that support the full product lifecycle.
• Develop and apply control algorithms - Design closed-loop control solutions (e.g., PID), state-machine patterns, and motor-control techniques for safety-critical embedded systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams - Work closely with product-development teammates, mechanical and electrical engineers, and other specialists to ensure seamless integration across the hardware-software development process.
• Maintain configuration management - Use Git (or equivalent) for source-code control, manage software builds, and ensure version-controlled artifacts are available to the team.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering (or related field) plus 5 years of embedded software engineering experience; or a Master's degree plus 3 years of experience.
• Proven experience in embedded systems software development, integration, and testing.

Other Basic Qualifications:

• Ensure that teammates succeed in delivering what's most important for the team.
• Have a willingness to learn mindset from mentors, peers, and others.

• Strong technical problem solving, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong resolve to drive tasks to completion autonomously.
• Ability to travel is required.

• U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance if necessary.
• Ability to obtain clearance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives as an Employee Possessor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing safety-critical embedded software.
• Strong background in hardware integration and debugging, especially at the register level for microcontrollers.
• Real-time operating system (RTOS) experience.
• Bare metal programming experience.
• Timing, latency, throughput measurement and analysis.
• Proficiency in C / C++ and familiarity with Texas Instruments MSP430 / TMS320 families.
• Hands-on experience with serial data buses (RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, UART, SPI, I²C, CAN).
• Expertise in National Instruments LabVIEW / TestStand and electronics lab tools (DMMs, power supplies, oscilloscopes).
• Knowledge of motor-control systems and closed-loop control algorithms (PID).
• Ability to design state machines and produce thorough requirements, design, and test documentation.
• Familiarity with mechanical and electrical engineering processes within product development.
• Competence with Git or other configuration management tools.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a small-team environment and adapt to varied roles as project needs evolve.

Primary Level Salary Range: $98,400.00 - $147,600.00

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.