Senior AI Software Engineer – Top Secret, On-Site

Northrop Grumman Corp. (AU); San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 142,200 - 213,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Relocation assistance

Paid time off

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Senior Principal Software Engineer – AI Software to join our on-site team in San Diego, El Segundo or Palmdale, California. The role involves leading strategy, architecture, and hands-on implementation of secure, scalable AI systems in highly regulated environments.

Requires proven leadership, experience delivering production AI/ML solutions, and TS clearance. Travel up to 25% may be required; relocation assistance may be available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM discipline with 8 years of related engineering experience, OR a Master’s with 6 years, OR a PhD with 4 years.
• Professional software engineering experience building and delivering production software (e.g., Python, Java, C++, or similar).
• Applied AI/ML engineering experience delivering models to production (classical ML and/or deep learning, including LLM‑enabled solutions).
• Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into enterprise software systems (APIs/services, data pipelines, and production deployment patterns).
• Experience working in regulated environments with emphasis on security, data handling, and governance expectations for AI use.
• Demonstrated technical leadership (leading designs, mentoring engineers, driving cross‑team technical alignment).
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance (with BI within past 5 years or Continuous Evaluation).
• Ability to obtain and maintain initial SAP/PAR within a reasonable time.

Responsibilities

• Provide collaborative technical leadership driving AI solutions across contracts and operating units.
• Partner with product, platform, data, security, and compliance to establish responsible AI, governance, and MLOps.
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for enterprise AI roadmap and execution.
• Provide senior technical leadership through design reviews, prototyping, code contributions, and mentoring while aligning roadmaps across teams.

Skills

Python

Java

C++

AI/ML

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Job description

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems seeks a Senior Principal Software Engineer – AI Software to join our on-site team in San Diego, El Segundo or Palmdale, California. The role involves leading strategy, architecture, and hands-on implementation of secure, scalable AI systems in highly regulated environments.

Requires proven leadership, experience delivering production AI/ML solutions, and TS clearance. Travel up to 25% may be required; relocation assistance may be available.