Staff Software Defined Infrastructure Engineer

0090 CORP-Corporate Office; United States; Remote; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Staff Software Defined Infrastructure Engineer to lead automated infrastructure initiatives across on-prem and cloud environments. You will use IaC tools such as Ansible and Terraform, develop Python automation services, and drive migrations from legacy IT to software-defined platforms.

The role requires strong Linux experience, containerization with Docker/Kubernetes/OpenShift, and the ability to work in an Agile team while mentoring junior engineers.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s degree.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Experience designing automated infrastructure with IaC tools (Ansible, Terraform) and Python automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of Software Defined Infrastructure solutions using IaC tools.
• Architect automated provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management of servers, containers, and Kubernetes clusters.
• Develop tooling to orchestrate workflows and integrate with CI/CD pipelines.
• Drive migration of traditional IT to automated, software-defined platforms.
• Define standards for Infra as Code and automation across the team.
• Collaborate with software engineering and IT to design resilient, scalable architectures.
• Maintain and optimize containerized environments and incident response.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers and contribute to knowledge-sharing.

Skills

Infrastructure as Code

Ansible

Terraform

Python

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Linux

Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Agile/Scrum

Security tooling

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Terraform

Ansible

Git

CI/CD tooling

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available. CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No. CLEARANCE TYPE: 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. At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and secure technological solutions to enable strategic objectives. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we will support yours by expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you will have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career. Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Sector's Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO) is seeking a Staff Software Defined Infrastructure Engineer to support its IT Infrastructure & Operations organization. As a Staff Software Defined Infrastructure Engineer at Northrop Grumman, you will have a challenging and rewarding opportunity to lead our technical efforts to implement Software Defined Everything across our environments. Through the use of Infrastructure as Code, automation, Model-based Engineering, DevSecOps, and Agile practices, we are transforming how we design, deploy, and operate critical national defense products and capabilities for the warfighter. You will be a key technical leader, driving the architecture and implementation of automated infrastructure. This will include the tools and other infrastructure required to support our IT Infra organization in using tools such as Ansible and Terraform, building robust Python-based automation services, and guiding the migration from traditional IT environments to modern, software-defined platforms. Our success is grounded in our ability to embrace change, move quickly, and continuously drive innovation. The successful candidate will be collaborative, open, transparent, and team-oriented, with a focus on team empowerment & shared responsibility, flexibility, continuous learning, and a culture of automation. This is a virtual/remote role, however the preferred candidate will be within driving distance to a major Northrop Grumman site.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of Software Defined Infrastructure solutions using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Ansible and Terraform.
• Architect and implement automated provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management of servers, containers, and Kubernetes clusters across on-prem and cloud environments.
• Develop tooling, services, and frameworks to orchestrate infrastructure workflows, validate configurations, and integrate with CI/CD pipelines.
• Drive migration of traditional IT environments to automated, software-defined platforms, including refactoring legacy configurations into reusable, version-controlled IaC modules.
• Define and enforce standards, patterns, and best practices for Infra as Code, automation, testing, and documentation across team.
• Collaborate with software engineering and IT infrastructure teams to design resilient, scalable, and secure architectures for mission-critical systems.
• Maintain and optimize containerized and Kubernetes-based environments, including cluster configuration, observability, and incident response.
• Work in a fast-paced Agile environment, actively participating in backlog grooming, sprint planning, and continuous improvement activities.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers in software engineering, automation, and infrastructure practices; contribute to knowledge-sharing sessions, design reviews, and documentation.

Basic Qualifications

• 12 Years of relevant work experience with a Bachelors; 10 Years with Masters; 8 Years with PhD.
• Candidates must have the ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret level security clearance as a condition of continued employment
• Strong experience designing and implementing automated infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code tools such as Ansible and Terraform.
• Strong proficiency in Python, including building automation services, libraries, or frameworks with robust testing and documentation.
• Experience leading migrations from traditional IT environments (manual/legacy configurations) to software-defined, automated platforms.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, or similar), including cluster-level configuration and lifecycle management.
• Experience with daily development and administration in Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, or similar).
• Experience maintaining production-grade applications or platform services in virtualized or cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Experience working with and presenting accomplishments to internal and external customers, including technical briefings and status updates.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and contributing to knowledge-sharing sessions and documentation.
• Understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying and managing CI/CD pipelines that integrate Infra as Code, automated testing, and environment promotion.
• Experience with monitoring and observability for infrastructure and Kubernetes environments using tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, or similar; ability to set up alerts and incident response processes.
• Experience integrating security and compliance tooling into automated pipelines (e.g., container scanning & signing, code scanning, policy-as-code) and deploying them into classified or air-gapped environments.
• Experience with Git-based workflows (GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket) including branching strategies and code review practices.
• Experience with model-based or declarative configuration approaches and configuration management at scale.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence architecture decisions and drive alignment across software, infrastructure, and security stakeholders.

We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. At Northrop Grumman, we are on the cutting edge of innovation. Our diverse portfolio of programs means there are endless paths to cultivate your career. We also offer exceptional benefits/healthcare, a 9/80 work schedule, and a great 401k matching program.

Primary Level Salary Range: $177,000.00 - $265,600.00

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.

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.