AI/Automation Engineer - Level 3/4 (Chandler) (AHT)

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 98,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As an AI / Automation Engineer – Level 3 or 4 in Chandler, AZ, you’ll design, develop, and maintain automation solutions that impact engineering and infrastructure across the organization.

This 100% onsite role focuses on AI/ML, CI/CD, containerized apps, and scalable DevOps pipelines. Join a team that works with LLMs, RAG pipelines, and vector databases, collaborating closely with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience or higher.
• DoD Secret security clearance or ability to obtain one.
• Linux experience with scripting and system configuration.
• Proficiency in Python or Go with software development background.
• Experience with CI/CD, version control, and automated deployment.
• Experience deploying AI/ML capabilities and integrating models into apps.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, document, test, and debug AI and ML capabilities to automate workflows.
• Automate processes by building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines in a DevOps environment.
• Build and maintain agent orchestration frameworks integrating with LLM services and tools.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain containerized apps (Docker, Kubernetes) for portability and scalability.

Skills

Python

Go

Linux

CI/CD

APIs

LLMs

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

Mastra

LangChain

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: None TRAVEL: Yes, 10% 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. Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations to come.

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As an AI / Automation Engineer – Level 3 or 4 in Chandler, AZ, you’ll be a key contributor to missions of national importance, helping define what’s possible from day one. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work. We are seeking a highly motivated AI / Automation Engineer to join our dynamic team. In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain automation solutions that impact engineering and infrastructure across the organization. You will combine hands‑on software engineering with cutting‑edge AI and ML to automate engineering, DevOps, infrastructure tasks, processes, and workflows.

This role sits at the intersection of AI, automation, CI/CD, and infrastructure, giving you the opportunity to:

• Build and integrate AI-powered capabilities into engineering workflows
• Design and operate robust CI/CD DevOps pipelines
• Support containerized, cloud and on‑premise environments at scale

Join us and be part of a team driving innovative solutions at the forefront of space systems and advanced software.

Your Role and Impact

In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, document, test, and debug AI and ML capabilities to automate engineering and infrastructure workflows.
• Automate processes by building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines and AI-enabled tooling within a DevOps environment.
• Build and maintain agent orchestration frameworks that integrate with LLM services, system services, and engineering tools.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain containerized applications (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) to ensure portability, scalability, and reliability.
• Implement and support RAG pipelines and vector database integrations to enable intelligent retrieval and decision‑making.
• Provide infrastructure support by troubleshooting issues, optimizing performance, and maintaining high availability and observability of systems.
• Collaborate closely with engineering, DevOps, and infrastructure teams to identify automation opportunities and bring them to production.
• Communicate clearly with technical and non‑technical stakeholders, both in writing and verbally.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications for Level 3

• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of professional experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance.
• Hands‑on experience working in Linux environments, including scripting and system configuration.
• Proficiency in Python or Go (Golang) with a strong background in software development, debugging, and testing.
• Experience with CI/CD, version control systems, and automated pipelines for application deployment.
• Experience developing and deploying AI and/or Machine Learning (ML) capabilities.
• Experience with APIs and integrating models into applications or agentic frameworks ( e.g. Mastra, LangChain, or similar toolkits) for building autonomous agents.
• Experience developing and hosting AI/ML models in cloud‑based environments (e.g., AWS, Azure) and/or on‑premise containerized infrastructure.
• Experience with Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines and vector databases.
• Strong understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs), including concepts such as fine‑tuning, hosting, and inference optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own and deliver complex automation and/or AI solutions from concept through deployment.

Basic Qualifications for Level 4

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of professional experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance.
• Hands‑on experience working in Linux environments, including scripting and system configuration.
• Proficiency in Python or Go (Golang) with a strong background in software development, debugging, and testing.
• Experience with CI/CD, version control systems, and automated pipelines for application deployment.
• Experience developing and deploying AI and/or Machine Learning (ML) capabilities.
• Experience with APIs and integrating models into applications or agentic frameworks ( e. g. Mastra, LangChain, or similar toolkits) for building autonomous agents.
• Experience developing and hosting AI/ML models in cloud‑based environments (e.g., AWS, Azure) and/or on‑premise containerized infrastructure.
• Experience with Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines and vector databases.
• Strong understanding of Large Language Models (LLMs), including concepts such as fine‑tuning, hosting, and inference optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own and deliver complex automation and/or AI solutions from concept through deployment.

Preferred Qualifications

Active DoD Secret Security Clearance or higher

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

Northrop Grumman Total Rewards #AZSpace #SpaceEngJobs Primary Level Salary Range: $98,400.00 - $147,600.00 Secondary Level Salary Range: $122,800.00 - $184,200.00 The 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 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. For our complete EEO 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.

We are a pioneering company. With careers across all areas: air, cyber, land, sea and space – our 90,000 employees work as one to defend and define the future. Northrop Grumman careers and internships are as varied as your interests, with a lifetime of potential that will give you every opportunity to do your best work. Working together with people from many backgrounds, personal passions and disciplines, we share a drive to push the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide.