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Northrop Grumman

Builds stealth bombers, missiles, and satellites

Ground Software Development Lead

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours
Full-timeDulles, VA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

  • An active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance is required at application, and U.S. citizenship is required.
  • A Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of software development experience, a Master’s degree with 10 years, or a PhD with 8 years is required; alternatively, four additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of a completed Bachelor’s degree.
  • A strong technical background in software development, including design, implementation, integration, and troubleshooting, is required.
  • Experience with ground segment or ground software for space systems, such as mission operations, command and telemetry, data processing, or ground infrastructure, is required.
  • Experience leading software development teams to deliver complex capabilities is required; small teams of 8–20 engineers are preferred.
  • Experience working in an Agile development environment, such as SAFe or similar, including planning and executing sprints or PIs, is required.
  • Experience leading requirements development, testing, and verification activities for software systems is required.
  • The candidate must be able to write and present technical information to customers and executive or program management.
  • Experience with the Atlassian tool suite, such as Jira and Confluence, or similar Agile lifecycle management tools, is required.
  • Awareness of Earned Value Management practices, with experience supporting or partnering with CAMs on cost and schedule tracking, forecasts, and variance analysis, is required.

Responsibilities

  • Lead a small, high-performing Agile ground software team of approximately 10–15 engineers to deliver incremental capabilities, interfaces, and defect fixes aligned with the ground segment Product Roadmap, emphasizing schedule execution and quality.
  • Serve as the primary ground software technical lead, guiding architecture, design, implementation, and integration decisions; provide hands-on technical direction and help resolve complex implementation trade-offs.
  • Act as the key ground software interface for the Chief Engineer, Program Management, IPT and sub-IPT leads, and external customers, particularly for major milestone events such as design reviews, readiness reviews, and demonstrations.
  • Coordinate and prepare technical content and briefings for recurring customer and internal reviews, including Integrated Design Reviews, PI Prioritization, Release Planning, Program Management Reviews, and key milestone events.
  • Maintain team performance in velocity and quality by removing obstacles, coaching the team, and refining processes to increase efficiency and predictability.
  • Provide Earned Value Management-aware leadership for the ground software scope by partnering with CAMs and IPT leadership on staffing, schedule, and scope trades; monitoring progress against cost and schedule baselines; and contributing to variance analysis, forecasts, and corrective actions.
  • Chair or co-lead recurring Agile ceremonies for the ground software team, including PI Planning, Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews, and daily stand-ups.
  • Collaborate with Systems Engineering, Cyber, DevOps, Training, and Integration & Test teams to ensure ground software capabilities integrate into the overall ground segment and mission concept of operations.
  • Present technical approaches, risks, and recommendations at technical and program boards.
  • Improve team processes and workflows, streamline non-value-added processes, and promote best practices across the ground software team.

Desired Qualifications

  • A degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) is preferred.
  • Hands-on technical lead experience on ground software for space systems or similar complex, distributed systems is preferred.
  • Experience with one or more modern object-oriented languages, such as C++, Java, or C#, is preferred.
  • Experience with Linux-based development environments is preferred.
  • Experience with cloud-native architectures and containerization, such as Docker or Kubernetes, is preferred.
  • Experience with telemetry and command, mission planning, or ground data processing systems is preferred.
  • Ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment, including direct customer interaction and support of major milestone events, is preferred.
  • Strong communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution and negotiation that maintain positive customer and stakeholder relationships, are preferred.
  • A demonstrated record of improving team efficiency by streamlining processes, improving workflows, and introducing pragmatic best practices is preferred.
  • Experience mentoring and developing early-career engineers is preferred.

About the Company

Northrop Grumman

Builds stealth bombers, missiles, and satellites

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, VA
Founded
1939

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