Software Engineer - Level 3; X-Lab

Principal Software Engineer (X‑Lab)

Relocation assistance:
No relocation assistance available.

Clearance required for start:
Yes. Clearance type:
Secret. Travel:
No.

Northrop Grumman Space Systems—Missile Defense Integration offers an excellent opportunity for a Principal Software Engineer (X‑Lab) to join our team of skilled and diverse professionals. This role is essential to supporting the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders at the strategic, regional, and operational levels. It requires on‑site work at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado Springs, CO, with no remote options.

The Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2

BMC) program is a key component of the Missile Defense System. It enables systematic planning of ballistic missile defense operations, monitoring the battle, and dynamically controlling networked sensors and weapon systems to achieve mission goals. The C2

BMC X‑Lab develops and integrates future‑capability prototypes for the system, including sensor/weapon integration, algorithm development, user interface development, and other critical, leading‑edge technologies.

• Work as a mid‑level member of the X‑Lab software development team to create and test innovative solutions that support X‑Lab projects and experiments.
• Engage others effectively through strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Work alone or collaborate in small groups.
• Adapt to a highly dynamic and constantly evolving environment.
• Perform complex problem resolution, design, development, testing, integration, and user support for a large codebase.
• Follow specifications to develop or modify functionality in the code.
• Assist with design, benchmarking, testing, debugging, and documentation.
• Interface with other system support groups to resolve problems, set standards, and improve the system's overall efficiency.
• Design, code, test, and implement tools for automation.

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field from an accredited university, along with 5 years of experience; or a Master’s degree (preferred) in a related field with 3 years of relevant work experience; or 9 years of relevant work experience may be considered as an alternative to a degree.
• Current, active DoD 8140 certification at IAT Level II or higher (such as Security+CE, CCNA‑Security, CySA+, CND, etc.) at the time of application and throughout the contract period.
• Current, active in‑scope DoD‑issued Secret security clearance at the time of application.
• Experience with software development using Java.
• Ability to provide in‑depth analysis and technical support for a large, distributed system written in Java.
• Full‑time, on‑site at Schriever SFB, CO. Non‑standard work hours are likely during event execution.

• Experience developing command and control system applications.
• Experience using message translation software.
• Experience developing automated tests and pipelines.
• Experience with software integration testing, including automated test scripts.
• Prior experience designing and developing microservices and deploying them with containers.
• Experience setting up a container environment.
• Understanding of systems engineering, systems design, and development.
• Ability to clearly document activities and write project plans and summary reports.

• Health Plan
• Savings Plan
• Paid Time Off
• Education Assistance
• Training and Development
• Flexible Work Arrangements

Base salary range: $ – $. Additional compensation may include overtime, shift differential, and discretionary bonus. Qualifications, experience, and market conditions influence the final offer.

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. U.S. citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit