Senior Ground Software Architect – Space Missions

0909 SP - Orbital Space Systems; United States; On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in McLean, VA seeks a Staff-level Ground Software Architect (T5) to lead design and implementation of next-generation ground systems for space programs. This onsite role requires Top Secret clearance and a strong background in software architecture for complex aerospace systems.

You will define end-to-end architectures, drive modern practices (CI/CD, containerization, IaC), mentor engineers, and collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver mission-critical capabilities

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 12+ years of software experience or advanced degree with 8+ years of experience.
• Strong background in software development and architecture for complex systems.
• Experience with Linux, CI/CD, containerization, and modern programming languages (Python, C/C++, Java).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical leader and software architect for ground systems.
• Define, document, and evolve end-to-end ground software architectures and interfaces.
• Advise on integration of new technologies (cloud, containers, orchestration, automation).
• Lead full lifecycle software development, testing, deployment, and sustainment.
• Mentor engineers and present technical briefings to leadership and customers.
• Drive adoption of CI/CD, containerization, and infrastructure as code.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Java

Linux

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Git

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Northrop Grumman in McLean, VA seeks a Staff-level Ground Software Architect (T5) to lead design and implementation of next-generation ground systems for space programs. This onsite role requires Top Secret clearance and a strong background in software architecture for complex aerospace systems.

You will define end-to-end architectures, drive modern practices (CI/CD, containerization, IaC), mentor engineers, and collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver mission-critical capabilities