Principal or Sr Principal Systems Administrator - Workflow Engineer

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 Space Systems Sector’s Central Region Software Engineering organization is seeking a Principal or Sr Principal Systems Administrator
- Workflow Engineer to support mission‑critical environments in Aurora, Colorado.

The ideal candidate will combine strong systems administration skills (Windows and Linux) with experience configuring and maintaining Atlassian tools and containerized services, as well as identity and access management technologies. This role is hands‑on and requires the ability to design, implement, secure, and sustain complex workflows and infrastructure in a high‑availability, classified environment.

• Administer, configure, and harden Windows and Linux servers supporting mission‑critical applications and workflows
• Configure, maintain, and optimize Atlassian tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket) to support engineering and operational processes
• Design, deploy, and manage containerized workloads, including Kubernetes clusters and associated services
• Manage identity and access services by leveraging IPA and Active Directory for secure authentication and authorization
• Develop scripts and automation (BASH/Python) to streamline operations, patching, and workflow execution
• Provide Tier 2/3 support, perform root cause analysis, and maintain clear technical documentation and runbooks

This position can be staffed at a Principal or Sr Principal level based on the basic qualifications below.

• Principal:
  Bachelor’s degree in science with 5+ years of relevant experience; 3+ years with a Master’s; or 4 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree
• Sr Principal:
  Bachelor’s degree in science with 8+ years of relevant experience; 6+ years with a Master’s; or 4 years with a PhD; 4 additional years may be considered in lieu of a degree
• Must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope, with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI approval/access.
• Current Security+ certification
• Hands‑on experience administering and configuring Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket or similar)
• Experience with containerization and Kubernetes setup/configuration in production or mission environments
• Strong Windows and Linux system administration experience, including IPA/Active Directory integration and troubleshooting

• Experience with OS patching strategies and tooling across Windows and Linux environments
• Scripting proficiency in BASH and Python for automation, integration, and workflow orchestration
• VMware experience (ESXi, vCenter) including provisioning and managing virtualized infrastructure
• VDI experience (e.g., VMware Horizon, Citrix) for design, deployment, and support of virtual desktop environments
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code or configuration management (e.g., Ansible, Terraform) and security hardening best practices

Primary Level Salary Range: $ - $

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