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Staff Engineer Software Quality

Northrop Grumman

Posted today

Job Requirements

San Diego, CA
Secret Polygraph Unspecified
Career Level not specified
$161,000 - $241,400

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance 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 Sector is seeking a Staff Engineer Software Quality to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals located in Rancho Bernardo, CA on the RQ-4 program.

The successful candidate will lead a team of Software Quality Engineers to define and monitor mission assurance program specifications and processes to drive mission success. The candidate will also perform quality, risk management, safety, reliability and maintainability of program achievements, subcontractors, and suppliers in accordance with contractual requirements. They will assess set up audit schedules for the program and identify program performance and risks, and determine resources to ensure mission assurance, as well as work with the CAMs on budget allocation for the team. They will also identify optimization areas and automation opportunities.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
  • Mentor and develop the Software Quality Assurance team to foster a collaborative, results oriented culture.
  • Contribute technical expertise to long term effort proposals, cost estimates and schedule forecasts.
  • Interface with the CAM team to track cost and schedule performance against baselines; provide justification or corrective actions when variances arise.
  • Conduct periodic process reviews to identify bottlenecks, implement best practice enhancements, or guide the team to automation of the effort.
  • Collaborate with Program and Engineering management on program quality planning and the establishment of program quality objectives.
  • Collaborate with software engineering and systems engineering functions to ensure quality standards are in place and followed.
  • Witness execution of software qualification and system acceptance tests to ensure tests are executed in accordance with approved test procedures, requirements are fully verified, and that all test procedure and software anomalies are documented and tracked to closure.
  • Support AS9100D audit activities and audits quality systems for non-conformance identification and corrective action.
  • Perform internal Process Evaluation audits against company standards and processes to identify deficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
  • Evaluate and ensure software suppliers possess the capability and capacity necessary to execute and deliver procured software with unquestionable quality.
  • Ensures that corrective measures meet acceptable quality standards, and that documentation is compliant with requirements.
  • Assists Software Engineering in collecting and reporting metrics.
  • Cross-trained in the hardware quality engineer positions in the department.
  • Assess Traceability from software source code, low-level to prime system level requirements.
  • Review quality of engineering artifacts for consistency, adequacy, and suitability.

Basic Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering or other STEM-related field relevant software development integration work experience.
  • Earned Value Management
  • Demonstrated knowledge of Agile software development processes
  • Expertise in C++ and Python
  • Expertise in process monitoring, data collection, analysis, and metric reporting
  • Expertise in process and product evaluation.
  • Expertise with software code review


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Active Secret Clearance
  • Experience with IBM DOORS
  • Experience with requirement traceability
  • Experience in a Software Engineering environment in an engineering capacity, work plan review, and root cause/corrective action analysis.
  • Ability to work independently with all levels of management and customer representatives to identify solutions to complex problems.
  • Experience leading diverse teams via a formalized Root Cause/Corrective Action process


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.
group id: 10122071

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About Us
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
Secret