Software Test Engineer (Level 2 or 3)

Northrop Grumman; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 91,800 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Software Test Engineer to develop and execute automated tests for mission-critical satellite ground software. You will work with cross-functional teams to verify functionality, performance, and reliability throughout the software lifecycle.

The ideal candidate has a STEM degree, Top-Secret clearance, and hands-on experience with C, Python, and Bash scripting, plus automated test design and CI integration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and 2 years of professional experience or Master’s degree.
• Active Top-Secret clearance at time of application.
• Proficiency in C, Python, and Bash scripting; strong understanding of software development.
• Experience designing or executing automated software tests and CI integration.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and maintain automated tests for a mission-critical satellite ground system.
• Verify software against requirements using simulated mission environments.
• Design automated test suites for feature, regression, and end-to-end testing.
• Enhance test frameworks to improve quality, coverage, and CI/CT.
• Collaborate across software, systems, mission operations, and DevSecOps teams.
• Support demonstrations and operational events; ensure ground system reliability.
• Create tools to streamline verification, automation, and test execution.
• Identify and resolve defects during integration and verification.
• Participate in Agile development activities and sprints.

Skills

C

Python

Bash scripting

Automated tests

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree

Tools

Git

GitLab

Bitbucket

Jira

Confluence

Jenkins

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

PyTest

Robot Framework

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

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.

About The Space Division

Our Space Division builds the ground-software that enables operators to fly missions for satellite constellations by providing the ability to mission plan, monitor telemetry, and process space-borne data. The software you design and sustain directly supports mission-critical capabilities that protect the nation and advance exploration. Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Software Test Engineer to support the verification and validation of mission-critical satellite ground software. In this role, you will develop & execute manual and automated software tests in order to verify system functionality, performance, and reliability throughout the software development lifecycle. You will work closely with the Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mission Operations, and DevSecOps teams while developing and executing tests. Additionally, you will help support customer demonstrations and operational events that showcase our ground system capabilities.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, execute, and maintain automated software tests for a mission-critical satellite ground system.
• Verify software functionality against requirements using simulated mission environments.
• Design and implement automated feature, capability, regression, and end-to-end system test suites.
• Help expand and modernize automated test frameworks to improve software quality, test coverage, and continuous integration/continuous testing (CI/CT).
• Collaborate with Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mission Operations, and DevSecOps throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Partner with the Mission Operations team to validate software capabilities and support operational scenarios representative of satellite flight operations.
• Support customer demonstrations and mission events by ensuring the ground system is verified, reliable, and ready for operational use.
• Develop tools and scripts to streamline software verification, automation, and test execution.
• Investigate, document, and resolve software defects identified during integration and verification.
• Participate in Agile software development activities including sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.

Ideal Candidate

We're looking for engineers who are excited to work where software meets space operations. Whether your background is in software test automation and you're eager to learn satellite ground systems, or you have space systems experience and want to build expertise in automated software testing, you'll have the opportunity to work directly with the engineers and operators responsible for flying satellites while helping shape the future of our automated test capabilities.

Basic Qualifications - Level2 - Engineer Software Test

• Education & Experience - Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and 2 years of professional experience -or Master’s degree. Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Clearance - Active U.S. Government Top-Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope.
• Understanding software-development understanding, including C, Python, and Bash scripting.
• Experience designing or executing automated software tests (framework design, CI integration, regression suites).
• Basic understanding of Space operations.
• Experience with requirement decomposition and translating complex requirements into clear, executable test steps and procedures

Basic Qualifications - Level3 - Principal Engineer Software Test

• Education & Experience - Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field and 5 years of professional experience -or Master’s degree and 3 years -or PhD and 1 year. Will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• Clearance - Active U.S. Government Top-Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope.
• Proven track record delivering complex automated-test solutions in a regulated or classified environment.
• Understanding software-development experience, including C, Python, and Bash scripting.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate across hardware engineering, software development, and mission-operations teams.

Preferred Qualification

• Strong preference for Top Secret SCI
• Experience with Git-based version control and collaboration tools such as Git, GitLab, Bitbucket, Jira, and Confluence.
• Experience developing automated software tests and integrating them into CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, TestComplete, PyTest, Google Test (gTest), Robot Framework, or similar technologies.
• Familiarity with cloud-native architectures (AWS), containerization, and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience leveraging modern software engineering practices, including DevSecOps and AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, ChatGPT) to improve software quality, test automation, and defect analysis.

Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00

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.