Principal / Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer

Northrop Grumman; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Health plan

Education assistance

9/80 work schedule

Job summary

A leading defense contractor in Fairfax, Virginia, is seeking individuals to provide engineering and administrative support for systems engineering teams. Candidates must have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph and experience in network management, Linux systems, and strong communication skills. The role includes analyzing networks and developing solutions for mission-critical infrastructure. Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph required prior to start.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working in Linux environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and administrative support for a team of system engineers.
• Develop and support solutions for mission critical infrastructure.
• Analyze systems and networks to drive change and efficiencies.

Skills

LAN & WAN management

Communication skills

Linux systems administration

IPv4 network design

Network troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's degree with 5 years experience

Master's degree with 3 years experience

PhD with 1 year experience

9 years experience in lieu of degree

Tools

FreeIPA

Puppet

Splunk

DHCP

DNS

Job description

Relocation Assistance

Relocation assistance may be available.

Clearance Required for Start

Yes. Clearance type: Polygraph.

Travel

Yes, 10% of the time.

Job Overview

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. 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.

Job Description

Join Northrop Grumman on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real‑life solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today. 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.

Location

This position will be located at a Mission Systems Sector site in Northern Virginia.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and administrative support onsite for a team of system engineers, often deviating from industry standard procedures to meet mission needs while maintaining system security standards.
• Develop, implement, and support solutions for systems that support mission critical and mission essential infrastructure.
• Analyze existing systems and networks and make proactive recommendations to drive change and create efficiencies.
• Support all aspects of integration of new or existing network systems.
• Collaborate with system engineers to create and deploy solutions in support of customer mission needs.
• Maintain, evaluate, test, and apply STIG configurations for network devices.
• Respond to security findings and Break‑Fix events across the infrastructure.
• Create and maintain system network documentation including Standard Operating Procedures and VISIO diagrams.

Basic Qualifications (Principal / Sr. Principal)

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph is required prior to start.
• Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of relevant experience, Master’s degree with 3 years, PhD with 1 year, or 9 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to articulate and document defects in a timely manner and collaborate with the team and management to prioritize issues until resolution.
• Experience designing and maintaining LAN & WAN based networks.
• Experience working in Linux environments and ability to act as a systems administrator.
• Expertise with IPv4 network design, including IP subnetting and protocols.
• Experience with network device configuration and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with network management protocols such as SNMP, SSH, and syslog.
• Capacity to perform both as a Network Architect and System Administrator.
• Experience managing a small, technically diverse team.

Preferred Qualifications (Both Levels)

• Experience with FreeIPA, GestioIP, Puppet, Splunk, Bitwarden, Vaultwarden, NAGIOS, CLAM‑AV, DHCP, DNS, LDAP, Intermapper, WhatsupGold, server turn‑up, configuration, and maintenance.
• VM setup and configuration.
• Expertise on OWT, key to project.
• Network engineering experience or knowledge.

Benefits

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package encouraging growth and mutual success. Benefits include health plan, savings plan, paid time off, education assistance, training and development, 9/80 work schedule (where available), and more.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.