Staff Software I&T Engineer – System Test Lead (Level 5)

Northrop Grumman; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 177,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking a Staff Software I&T Engineer – System Test Lead (Level 5) to join the Western Region Software Engineering directorate in Redondo Beach, CA. The role focuses on defining test plans, validating asynchronous workflows, and coordinating with systems engineers to translate mission requirements into robust software solutions.

Responsibilities include cloud-deployed services monitoring, test automation, and CI/CD integration while collaborating with DevOps and engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 12+ years of software engineering experience or Master’s with 10+ years.
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance or ability to obtain.
• Hands-on experience testing containerized apps (Docker/Kubernetes/OpenShift).
• Experience testing systems using Kafka for async communication.
• Experience with test automation tools (TestComplete, JUnit, Mockito, pytest, Catch2).
• CI/CD integration of automated tests (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps).
• Strong test automation scripting (Python, JavaScript).
• Knowledge of test design techniques and source control (Git, Jira).

Responsibilities

• Define test plans, test cases and traceability to requirements.
• Verify reliability and error handling in async workflows.
• Collaborate with systems engineers on mission planning requirements.
• Implement and maintain cloud-deployed services with monitoring and logging.
• Participate in code reviews and CI/CD pipeline improvements.
• Troubleshoot issues across app, container and cloud layers.
• Communicate effectively with developers, DevOps and systems engineers.

Skills

Test planning

Communication

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 12+ years experience

Master’s degree in STEM with 10+ years experience

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Kafka

TestComplete

JUnit

Mockito

pytest

Python

Git

GitHub/GitLab/Azure DevOps

Jenkins

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.

• Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding. Furthermore, this position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company. Continued employment thereafter will be subject to maintenance at the level of clearance and program access required for the position in the future.
  
  

Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Staff Software I&T Engineer – System Test Lead (Level 5) to join our team of highly qualified, diverse professionals within the Western Region Software Engineering directorate. This position is located onsite in Redondo Beach, CA.

Responsibilities

Job responsibilities of the Staff Software I&T Engineer – System Test Lead (Level 5) include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ability to define test plans, test cases, and establish traceability back to requirements and design.
• Verify reliability, ordering, and error handling in asynchronous workflows.
• Collaborate with systems engineers to understand mission planning requirements and translate them into robust software solutions.
• Implement and maintain cloud-deployed services, including monitoring, logging, and alerting.
• Participate in code reviews, test automation efforts, and continuous improvement of development and integration practices.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues across application, container, and cloud layers.
• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills, and work effectively with developers, DevOps, and systems engineers.
• Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding. Furthermore, this position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company. Continued employment thereafter will be subject to maintenance at the level of clearance and program access required for the position in the future.
  
  

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline with 12+ years of software engineering experience, or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline with 10+ years of experience
• Must have an active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance at the time of application, with the ability to obtain Special Program Access within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company
• Hands on experience testing containerized applications (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift)
• Experience testing systems that use Kafka (or similar message bus) for asynchronous communication
• Experience using a test automation tool ( TestComplete, Junit, Mockito, pytest, Catch2, etc )
• Experience building and maintaining automated tests in a CI/CD pipeline including:
• Integrating automated tests into tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or Azure DevOps
• Configuring tests to run as part of build, deployment, and regression gates
• Strong skills in test automation scripting (e.g., Python, JavaScript, or other relevant language)
• Solid understanding of test design techniques (e.g., boundary analysis, equivalence classes, negative testing, performance and load considerations).
• Proficiency with source control and work tracking (e.g., Git, GitLab/GitHub, Azure DevOps, Jira)
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance.
• Experience testing systems deployed to cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, or similar), including basic understanding of cloud networking, storage, and security groups.
• Experience with multi-level / multi-domain security environments or systems deployed at multiple classification levels.
• Practical experience with TestComplete and TestExecute, including:
• Designing and implementing automated integration test suites
• Maintaining and extending existing TestComplete/TestExecute test frameworks
• Experience validating message flows, topics, partitions, and consumer groups
• Experience working with REST APIs, microservices, and distributed architectures from a testing perspective.
• Strong background in integration and system-level testing for Space Mission Planning systems.
• Familiarity with container orchestration in secure environments (e.g., Kubernetes/OpenShift in classified or isolated networks).
• Experience testing systems subject to DoD, government, or regulated security requirements (e.g., STIGs, RMF).
• Experience with performance, scalability, and reliability testing of Kafka-based or other event-driven systems.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Helm, Ansible) and testing infrastructure changes.
• Knowledge of observability tooling (logs, metrics, traces) and using them to validate system behavior under test.
• Familiarity with virtualization, networking, and secure cross-domain solutions is a plus.
• Experience testing scheduling algorithms.
  

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

https://www.northropgrumman.com/space.

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site: Northrop Grumman Total Rewards.

As a full-time employee of Northrop Grumman, you are eligible for:

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• Health & Wellness Resources
• Employee Discounts
• Flexible Schedules: for example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work.
  
  

#LosAngelesSpace

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.