Principal/ Sr. Principal Data Center Electronics Engineer

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; On-site; USD 114,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks Principal/Sr. Principal Data Center Electronics Engineer to join our team in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) on-site. Responsibilities include operating data center infrastructure, virtualized environments, and automation using IaC tools. Requires TS clearance and strong virtualization/Windows/Linux experience.

The role offers on-site work with up to 25% travel, competitive salary, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s STEM degree required with related experience.
• Hands-on data center operations experience and server/networking knowledge.
• Experience with virtualization, scripting, and IaC tools.

Responsibilities

• Operate and maintain data center infrastructure including servers, networks, and storage.
• Configure VMware ESXi, VDI, and virtualization platforms; support IaC deployments.
• Lead incident management, change management, and security/compliance tasks.

Skills

Data center operations

Windows Server

Linux (RHEL)

VMware ESXi

VDI

PowerShell

Bash

Python

Terraform

Ansible

Grafana

JIRA

Top Secret Clearance

Networking (Cisco)

NetApp storage

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab CI/CD

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

Tools

Cisco UCS

Cisco networking devices

NetApp storage

Docker

Kubernetes

GitLab

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE

Relocation assistance may be available. Clearance required for start: Yes. Clearance type: Top Secret. Travel: Yes, 25% of the Time.

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.

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add Principal/ Sr. Principal Data Center Electronics Engineer to join our team in either San Diego (Rancho Bernardo).

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Infrastructure Operations: Install, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain servers (Dell servers), networking gear (Cisco servers and Cisco network devices), data storage hardware (NetApp storage solutions), and power distribution units.
• Configure and manage virtualized environments using VMware vCenter and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
• Capacity Planning: Monitor resource utilization, forecast growth, and recommend upgrades or consolidations.
• Automation & Scripting: Develop, deploy, and maintain robust automated deployment scripts to streamline infrastructure provisioning through Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Implement and manage infrastructure configuration using tools such as Ansible or Terraform.
• Incident Management: Lead Tier 2/3 support to end users and Engineering Product Teams (IPTs), perform root cause analysis, and document remediation steps which could include defect resolution or system enhancement efforts.
• Change Management: Execute hardware refreshes, firmware upgrades, and network architecture. Maintain comprehensive documentation for COTS hardware/software, including configuration matrices, release procedures, and system compatibility mapping.
• Security & Compliance: Apply hardening standards, conduct vulnerability scans, and support audits to maintain ATO.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the tenants, Tenant Solutions Architecture, and Lab Ops to align physical resources with virtual workloads across all environments.

The selected candidate will be required to work full‑time, on‑site at our facility. There is NO remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required.

****This position can be filled at either the Principal Electronics Engineer – Data Center Engineer level or the Sr.Principal Electronics Engineer – Data Center Engineer level, depending upon the qualifications below. ****

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Principal: Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 5 years of related professional/military experience in Engineering, or Master's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 3 years of related professional/military experience.
• Sr. Principal: Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 8 years of related professional/military experience in Engineering, or Master's degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited university and 6 years of related professional/military experience.
• Hands‑on experience in data center operations, server hardware, and networking.
• Strong knowledge of system administration of Windows operating system (Windows Server) with focus on Active Directory and Group Policy Management and Linux (RHEL)
• Strong knowledge of virtualization platforms (VMware ESXi, Red Hat OpenShift) and VDI
• Experience with and proficiency in scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python).
• Exposure to or knowledge of IaC tools (Terraform, Ansible)
• Familiarity with monitoring tools (Grafana) and ticketing system (JIRA).
• Must have an active US Government Top‑Secret Clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain and maintain US Government SCI clearance
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Certification(s) in Cisco CCNA/CCNP, Network+ CE/Security+ CE, CEH, CASP+, CISM, and/or CISSP
• Experience with Cisco UCS, Cisco networking devices, and networking
• Knowledge of storage technologies (NetApp)
• Knowledge of containers (Docker) and container management (Kubernetes)
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines in Gitlab in support of IaC
• Active Top Secret DoD Clearance with previous or current program access
• Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00
• Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00

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.

Existing Applicants: Need to update your contact information or email address? Once logged in, click on Candidate Home in the upper right corner and scroll to the bottom of that screen to see buttons for: Update Contact information to update your legal name, address, and phone number Edit Account Settings to edit your email address

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.