Senior Principal Cyber Systems Engineer - Airborne ISR RMF

Northrop Grumman; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo, CA, seeks a Principal or Senior Principal Cyber Systems Engineer to support the AISR&T program. You will apply systems engineering and cybersecurity disciplines across the program lifecycle to drive secure architectures, requirements, and implementations for mission-critical airborne ISR and tactical systems.

Success hinges on strong written and verbal communication, the ability to work across cross-functional teams, and delivering secure designs.

Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelors of Science degree in a STEM field and at least 5 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a Master's Degree in a STEM field and at least 3 years of relevant military / professional experience, OR a PhD and at least 1 year of relevant military / professional / academic experience
• Must have experience with government/industry security frameworks (e.g., NIST, RMF, DoD STIGs).
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain US Government Secret or higher clearance (with a background investigation completed within the last 6 years or currently enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
• Experience in systems engineering and/or cybersecurity (requirements, architecture, integration, or test).
• Experience on airborne ISR, mission systems, or tactical communications programs.

Responsibilities

• Develop, decompose, and manage cyber and security requirements and ensure traceability through design, implementation, and test.
• Define and maintain system and subsystem security architectures for AISR&T Programs, aligning with RMF, NIST, and DoD guidance.
• Perform security risk assessments, threat modeling, and vulnerability analyses; recommend and track mitigation measures.
• Produce and maintain security-related engineering artifacts (CONOPS, ICDs, security plans, interface specifications, test procedures).
• Collaborate with software, hardware, network, and integration teams to embed security controls into designs and implementations.
• Perform scans on program systems and develop associated findings reports and vulnerability analyses
• Support security test planning and execution, review findings, and drive remediation activities.
• Participate in technical reviews, trade studies, and customer/mission partner technical interchange meetings.
• Prepare and deliver clear technical briefings and status to program leadership and customers.

Skills

Security Architecture

Risk Modeling

Cross-functional collaboration

Written & Verbal Communication

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Master's in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

NIST RMF

DoD STIGs

MBSE tools

Job description

Northrop Grumman in Rancho Bernardo, CA, seeks a Principal or Senior Principal Cyber Systems Engineer to support the AISR&T program. You will apply systems engineering and cybersecurity disciplines across the program lifecycle to drive secure architectures, requirements, and implementations for mission-critical airborne ISR and tactical systems.

Success hinges on strong written and verbal communication, the ability to work across cross-functional teams, and delivering secure designs.