Principal / Senior Principal Cyber Systems Engineer
$119.6k - $223.9k+ Overtime + Shift differential + Discretionary annual bonus
Senior, Expert
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
Huntsville, AL, USA
In PersonOn-site in Huntsville, Alabama; travel 10%.
CybersecuritySecurity Engineering & Architecture, Security Governance, Risk & Compliance
No H1B Sponsorship
US Citizenship Required
About the job
Requirements
- For the Principal level, have 5 years of experience with a Bachelor of Science, 3 years with a Master's, or 1 year with a PhD.
- For the Principal level, be a U.S. citizen and hold an active Department of Defense Secret clearance.
- Hold a current Department of Defense 8570 IAT Level II certification (Security+) or higher.
- Have experience translating technical concepts and program information to others.
- Have experience with threat modeling, risk assessment, and secure design principles.
- Be familiar with common frameworks and controls, such as NIST SP 800-53, the Risk Management Framework, and CIS Controls.
- Know network security, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and virtual private networks.
- Know host and application security, including hardening and secure coding concepts.
- Know identity and access management, encryption, and key management.
- Have experience with vulnerability management and security testing, including scans, security test and evaluation, and penetration-test coordination.
- For the Senior Principal level, have 8 years of experience with a Bachelor of Science, 6 years with a Master's, or 4 years with a PhD.
- For the Senior Principal level, be a U.S. citizen and hold an active Department of Defense Secret clearance.
- For the Senior Principal level, hold a current Department of Defense 8570 IAT Level II certification (Security+) or higher.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience translating technical concepts and program information to others.
- For the Senior Principal level, have deep expertise in secure architecture and design for complex, distributed, or mission-critical systems.
- For the Senior Principal level, have deep expertise applying NIST Risk Management Framework, NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, CNSSI 1253, or similar frameworks.
- For the Senior Principal level, have deep expertise designing and evaluating defense-in-depth strategies across network, host, application, data, and identity.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience leading security architecture trade studies.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience defining cyber requirements, test approaches, and risk mitigations at the system-of-systems level.
- For the Senior Principal level, be able to engage on Authority to Operate and authorization strategy and major security reviews.
- For the Senior Principal level, be comfortable owning the overall system architecture, not just one component.
- For the Senior Principal level, be proficient in requirements decomposition and allocation, especially for cyber controls.
- For the Senior Principal level, be proficient in interface design, integration strategies, and end-to-end verification and validation planning.
Responsibilities
- Design, plan, implement, and assess security controls, policies, and processes compliant with National Security Agency programs and Department of Defense-wide frameworks such as the Risk Management Framework and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
- Participate in assessments of system security controls to validate implementation and identify weaknesses.
- Document certification and accreditation activities and technical or coordination activity, prepare system security plans, and update the Plan of Action and Milestones.
- Periodically review each system's audits and monitor corrective actions until all actions are closed.
- Implement, automate, configure, and maintain security tools, centralized authentication solutions, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and compliance baselines.
- Provide advanced technical analyses of cyber infrastructure challenges and problems, and develop or identify technical solutions responsive to customer needs.
- Participate in team reviews of technical requirements, design plans, and implementation plans before deployment.
- Recommend and implement system enhancements to improve performance, reliability, and security, including installation, upgrading, monitoring, problem resolution, and configuration.
- Serve as a cyber subject-matter expert providing high-level technical and practical expertise.
- Assure implementation of cybersecurity disciplines, including communications security, emissions security, operations security, digital communications systems, network protocols and architectures, and penetration tools and techniques.
- Support continuous assessment of cyber control compliance for systems within the role's responsibility.
Desired Qualifications
- For the Principal level, have in-depth knowledge of Department of Defense 8500-series directives.
- For the Principal level, have system administrator experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows systems.
- For the Principal level, have in-depth understanding of planning, design, and implementation needed to support a large enterprise system.
- For the Principal level, have working knowledge of NIST 800-series documents.
- For the Principal level, have experience configuring Security Incident Event Monitoring and intrusion detection and prevention tools such as ACAS, ESS, and Splunk in Red Hat Linux and Windows environments.
- For the Principal level, have experience with vulnerability and compliance scanners.
- For the Principal level, have working experience deploying and configuring Linux and Windows systems in accordance with Department of Defense Security Technical Implementation Guide requirements.
- For the Principal level, have experience developing scripts to automate security processes.
- For the Senior Principal level, have in-depth knowledge of Department of Defense 8500-series directives.
- For the Senior Principal level, have excellent written and oral communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills to support activities and challenges working with engineering teams, management, customers, partners, and government.
- For the Senior Principal level, have system administrator experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Windows systems.
- For the Senior Principal level, have in-depth understanding of planning, design, and implementation needed to support a large enterprise system.
- For the Senior Principal level, have working knowledge of NIST 800-series documents.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience configuring Security Incident Event Monitoring and intrusion detection and prevention tools such as ACAS, ESS, and Splunk in Red Hat Linux and Windows environments.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience with vulnerability and compliance scanners.
- For the Senior Principal level, have working experience deploying and configuring Linux and Windows systems in accordance with Department of Defense Security Technical Implementation Guide requirements.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience developing scripts to automate security processes.
- For the Senior Principal level, have in-depth systems engineering knowledge, including understanding of the systems engineering lifecycle.
- For the Senior Principal level, have experience managing stakeholder expectations, programmatic risk management, and customer engagement.
About the company
Northrop Grumman builds military aircraft, missiles, rocket motors, satellites, and electronic systems, mostly for the American military and allied governments. It designed the B-2 stealth bomber and built NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the largest telescope ever sent to space. The company works through four businesses: aircraft, missiles and ammunition, radar and communications systems, and space hardware such as satellites and solid rocket boosters. Most revenue comes from long-term government contracts, many of them classified. Its roots go back to Northrop Aircraft, founded in 1939, and it took its name after buying Grumman in 1994 and is based in Falls Church, Virginia.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Founded
1939
Get referred to Northrop Grumman
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Orders are piling up: $20 billion of awards lifted backlog to a record $104.7 billion in July 2026.
- Schedules give time back: many Northrop sites use a 9/80 plan with every other Friday off.
- Management sees more growth: Northrop raised 2026 sales guidance to $43.75 billion to $44.25 billion in July 2026.
What critics are saying
- Fixed-price programs keep biting: July 2026 results showed $159 million of charges on SiAW missile and GEM 63XL booster work.
- Staff numbers are slipping: headcount fell to about 95,000 in December 2025 from about 97,000 a year earlier.
- One customer decides your program's fate: the U.S. government bought 84% of Northrop's 2025 sales.
What makes Northrop Grumman unique
- Northrop is building America's next land-based nuclear missile: Sentinel, with its first flight test due in 2027.
- Northrop holds the Air Force's next bomber: the B-21 Raider, with at least 100 planes planned.
- Northrop resupplies the space station: its Cygnus XL ship delivered over 11,000 pounds of NASA cargo in April 2026.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Relocation Assistance
- Performance Bonus