Ground Software Engineer – Mission Planning & Astrodynamics

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE:
Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START:
No

CLEARANCE TYPE:
Interim Top Secret

TRAVEL:
Yes, 10% of the Time

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.

Join Northrop Grumman on our mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. As part of our Tactical Space organization, you will contribute to ground software that plans, executes, and analyzes space missions supporting critical national and civil objectives.

We are seeking a Staff‑level Ground Software Engineer (T5) with Mission Planning & Astrodynamics experience to lead the design and development of mission planning and satellite operations software within our ground segment. This position is based in McLean, VA and requires onsite work in a secure environment.

This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy working at the intersection of software engineering and orbital mechanics—building robust, operational tools using COTS astrodynamics platforms and custom software.

In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, and maintain ground software services and tools with a focus on mission planning, orbit analysis, and satellite operations.
• Perform full lifecycle software development:
  • Requirements analysis and decomposition
  • Architecture and design within the mission planning domain
  • Implementation, unit testing, and integration
  • Deployment and sustainment in operational environments
• Collaborate with systems engineering, mission operations, and other ground software teams to integrate mission planning capabilities with the broader ground segment.
• Implement and maintain automation, pipelines, and tools (e.g., Python‑based workflows, CI/CD jobs) to support mission analysis and operations.
• Contribute to technical documentation, design artifacts, and customer briefings for mission planning solutions.

• Lead and/or support the design and implementation of software capabilities for:
  • Orbit determination and ephemeris propagation
  • Maneuver planning and station‑keeping strategy
  • Conjunction assessment and collision avoidance
  • Contact/passes planning and satellite mission analysis
  • Launch and early orbit operations (LEOP), station keeping, on‑orbit support, and anomaly response
• Work closely with astrodynamics, flight dynamics, and operations teams to turn mission concepts and operational needs into robust, repeatable software solutions.
• Integrate and operationalize COTS astrodynamics tools, including:
  • Free Flyer
  • STK
  • Scripts and interfaces that connect these tools to other ground systems and data sources
• Support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) analysis and planning, as applicable to mission needs.
• Help shape the technical roadmap for mission planning tools and services, including performance, automation, and operational usability improvements.

• Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or…