Staff Software Sustainment Lead

Northrop Grumman; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 161,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance possible

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is seeking senior engineers with a background in Software Development, Systems Engineering, Team Leadership, and Program Management to develop and sustain satellite ground software.

This onsite role is based at the Colorado Springs campus with some on-site work at a local customer site and requires a Top Secret/SCI clearance at the time of application.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Systems Engineering; 12 years experience OR Master's with 10 years OR PhD with 8 years.
• Experience with satellite operations is required.
• Demonstrated leadership of teams of 6+ engineers.
• Ability to work on site daily.

Responsibilities

• Lead Software Sustainment Team (10-15 engineers) and ensure timely fixes.
• Chair the Government Defect Review Board (GDRB) with stakeholders.
• Own the bug-fix flow: triage and prioritize defects.
• Use data to drive decisions and track metrics.
• Act as a technical bridge between development teams and customers.
• Be the Cost Account Manager (CAM) for the Sustainment team.

Skills

Leadership experience

Communication with non-technical teams

On-site work readiness

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science or Systems Engineering

Master's degree

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.

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.

We are looking for team members who want to solve interesting, complex problems, which protect our nation. Your talents and passion are most important to us. Become a part of our enthusiastic team where we have fun working together and take pride in our contributions to the nation’s safety.

We are recruiting for a senior engineers with a background in Software Development, Systems Engineering, Team Leadership, and Program Management.

In this role, the focus will be on development and sustainment of satellite ground software. This positions is located onsite on our Colorado Springs, CO campus with part time on-site at our local customer site, and requires a Top Secret / SCI clearance at the time of application.

What you’ll get to do:

• Lead Software Sustainment Team – Lead a small (10-15 FTE) team of software developers on fixing top priority software defects. This includes regularly organizing the work, buying off on schedule for completion, providing status to program leadership, and ensuring the team makes and communicates timely fixes.


• Chair the Government Defect Review Board (GDRB) – Weekly meeting with govt and operator stakeholders to status open defects, report status, and field prioritization requests to communicate back to the Sustainment team and broader Software Development team(s).


• Own the bug‑fix flow – Triage defects, facilitate priority setting, and improve cycle‑time and predictability.


• Use data to drive decisions – Track team efficiency, defect metrics, and act on the insights.


• Be a technical bridge – Connect development teams with program leadership and customers


• Cost Account Manager – be the CAM for the Sustainment team, ensuring all program execution takes place according to EVMS cost and schedule targets

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (ideally Computer Science or Systems Engineering) and 12 years of experience; OR a master’s degree and 10 years: OR a PhD and 8 years. Experience can be considered in lieu of degree (4 years of additional experience)


• Experience with satellite operations


• Demonstrated people leadership experience for teams of 6+ engineers


• Ability to work on site daily


• Ability to translate technical requirements / status to non-technical audience


• Ability to communicate operational needs into technical requirements for software developers


• Experience with customer interaction & expectations management


• U.S. Citizenship


• Must have a current and active Top-Secret clearance at the time of application

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record of navigating unfamiliar or rapidly‑changing environments


• Space Mission Planning Experience


• Cost Account Manager (CAM) experience


• Software development experience


• Understanding of greater program goals with motivation to succeed


• Ability to mentor junior engineers

Primary Level Salary Range: $161,000.00 - $241,400.00

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.