Ground Software Engineer, Mission Planning & Astrodynamics

Northrop Grumman; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in McLean, VA is seeking a Staff-level Ground Software Engineer (T5) to lead design and development of mission planning and satellite operations software for the ground segment. You will work onsite in a secure environment, collaborating with astrodynamics, flight dynamics, and operations teams to build robust tools using Python and C/C++, integrating FreeFlyer and STK.

This role requires 12+ years of software/mission experience, DoD Top Secret preferred, and a track record with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM or higher with 12+ years of software/mission experience; OR Master’s with 10+ years; OR PhD with 8+ years.
• Strong background in software development for complex systems, with Python as primary language.
• Experience with Linux development environments and scripting (Bash).
• Familiarity with Agile software development practices and CI/CD tooling.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain ground software services with focus on mission planning.
• Lead full lifecycle software development: requirements, architecture, implementation, testing, deployment.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, mission operations, and other teams to integrate capabilities.
• Provide automation, pipelines, and tools to support mission analysis and operations.
• Create documentation and briefings for mission planning solutions.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Java

Linux

Bash

Docker

CI/CD

Jira

Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

FreeFlyer

STK

Jira

Bitbucket

Confluence

Crucible

Bamboo

Job description

Northrop Grumman in McLean, VA is seeking a Staff-level Ground Software Engineer (T5) to lead design and development of mission planning and satellite operations software for the ground segment. You will work onsite in a secure environment, collaborating with astrodynamics, flight dynamics, and operations teams to build robust tools using Python and C/C++, integrating FreeFlyer and STK.

This role requires 12+ years of software/mission experience, DoD Top Secret preferred, and a track record with