RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: PolygraphTRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

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.

At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions.  In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning.  We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions.  By joining in our shared mission, we will support yours of expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field or an industry thought leader.  At Northrop Grumman, you will have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is looking to fill the role of Principal Software Test Engineer or Sr. Principal Software Test Engineer / Firmware Test Engineer. This position will be located in Chantilly, VA.

This is a challenging hands-on technical opportunity for a Test Engineer to join a high performing team in a dynamic, fast paced environment with evolving requirements. Northrop Grumman is seeking a Test Engineer who has experience with both software and firmware. The ideal candidate is familiar with RF, firmware and satellite communications and has a background of working closely with other members of a technical development team. The Test Engineer should be familiar with software development life cycle processes and with various software testing methods to include system, integration, and regression testing. The Test Engineer will support test activities for new, mission-critical hardware and software products developed by internal and external development teams.

What you will get to do:

• Test custom hardware products and software tools with various wireless communications (e.g., RF, Bluetooth, satellite)
• Conduct firmware segment-level testing and verification of hardware/software communication interfaces
• Work as a member of an agile software development test team learning new tools and processes and define product functionality
• Validate software requirements through functional, usability, performance, security, compatibility, ad-hoc and regression tests.
• Develop, maintain and execute test plans and procedures for software systems
• Participate in cross-functional team meetings, decision-making and technical discussions
• Review user stories, backlog items, analyze testability of requirements and provide feedback
• Apply analytical and problem-solving skills to clarify user stories and determine appropriate testing scenarios to validate the iterative development of products against functional and technical specifications
• Identify and track software defects during sprint cycles
• Timely identification of issues and effectively communicate adequate priority level and impact to software developers, project manager, and appropriate parties to facilitate issue resolutions
• Demonstrate work to key stakeholders to ensure solutions meet customer requirements
• Conduct test case reviews and ensure all test activities are properly executed and documented according to our client’s standards
• Configure hardware and software test equipment

This requisition may be filled as either a Principal Software Engineer or Sr. Principal Software Test Engineer.

Basic Qualification for a Principal Software Test Engineer:

• Candidate MUST have active Top Secret clearance with Polygraph to be considered
• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 5 years of related experience, a master’s degree with a minimum of 3 years of experience, a PhD with 1 year of experience, or 9 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Experience with various aspects of software and/or hardware testing
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize and self-manage multiple project tasks
• Proficiency with computer hardware and software systems
• Experience translating requirements and user stories into functional test plans
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to write well-articulated test plans and facilitate product demonstrations
• Ability to troubleshoot and isolate system failures
• Ability to clearly identify and document defects, and collaborate with the development team to prioritize bugs until resolution
• Ability to articulate open issues and risks in a timely manner to management and make recommendations

Basic Qualification for a Sr. Principal Software Test Engineer:

• Candidate MUST have active Top Secret clearance with Polygraph to be considered
• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 8 years of related experience, a master’s degree with a minimum of 6 years of experience, a PhD with a minimum of 4 years of experience, or 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Experience with various aspects of software and/or hardware testing
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize and self-manage multiple project tasks
• Proficiency with computer hardware and software systems
• Experience translating requirements and user stories into functional test plans
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to write well-articulated test plans and facilitate product demonstrations
• Ability to troubleshoot and isolate system failures
• Ability to clearly identify and document defects, and collaborate with the development team to prioritize bugs until resolution
• Ability to articulate open issues and risks in a timely manner to management and make recommendations

Preferred Qualifications for both levels:

• Development Test experience working with integrated product teams
• Experience with FPGA/firmware testing
• Familiarity with RF and satellite communications
• Familiarity with Agile Scrum methodologies
• Experience with agile management software, such as Microsoft Azure DevOps
• Experience with test automation to include design, development and debugging of tests
• Self-starter with the ability to pick up and learn new products with little supervision, as well as adapt to a variety of situations and tasks
• Ability to provide testing best practices to other team members
• Experience with providing test estimation to management and project teams

Northrop Grumman has approximately 90,000 employees in all 50 states and in more than 27 countries. We strive to attract and retain the best employees by providing an inclusive work environment wherein employees are receptive to diverse ideas, perspectives, and talents to help solve our toughest customer challenges: to develop and maintain some of the most technically sophisticated products, programs, and services in the world.

Our Values. The women and men of Northrop Grumman Corporation are guided by Our Values. They describe our company as we want it to be. We want our decisions and actions to demonstrate these Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates long-term benefits for shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve.

Our Responsibility. At Northrop Grumman, we are committed to maintaining the highest of ethical standards, embracing diversity and inclusion, protecting the environment, and striving to be an ideal corporate citizen in the community and in the world.

Salary Range: $100,300.00 - $150,500.00Salary Range 2: $124,900.00 - $187,300.00The 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 committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 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/AA 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.