Principal Engineer Software - Cyber Security (San Diego CA)

Northrop Grumman

Last Updated: 3/19/2026 2:10:29 PM

Position Closed

Live Market Data for this Exact Role

These metrics reveal the true, unfiltered history of this specific position. We track the exact number of days the requisition has been active and monitor real salary range fluctuations over time, helping you verify compensation trends before applying.

Current Days Open
34
Reqs Seen
2
Current Min Salary
$114,000.00 (Yearly)
Current Max Salary
$114,000.00 (Yearly)
Historical Time to Fill
67.5
First Seen
7/23/2025
Lowest Min Salary Seen
$110,300.00 (Yearly)
10/31/2025
Highest Max Salary Seen
$114,000.00 (Yearly)
3/19/2026

Full Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 25% 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. If you want to put your talent, experience, and passions into use and be part of something greater, you are in the right place. Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal Engineer Software - Cyber Security to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Software organization in San Diego, California, where we define possible. Join our team to work in an embedded technology environment to develop software working with real time operating systems for use in flight and mission critical systems. We build complex aircraft systems using the latest technologies including simulation, cloud computing, DevSecOps, and cyber that can rapidly evolve to deliver enhanced capabilities for fielded systems, modernizing in partnership with our customers to meet their most complex missions. Bring your innovative ideas and ingenuity, to help us define possible and have some fun along the way. This position will perform security engineering within a networking environment or enclave. Perform active evaluations such as compliance and vulnerability tests and adjudicate deviations from acceptable configurations, and policies. Provide Cybersecurity Assessment support and serve as a Cybersecurity expert throughout all stages of acquisition, systems engineering, and maintenance processes. Ensure system designs and implementations are consistent with policies, requirements, and directives, including compliance with Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIG), Security Requirements Guides (SRGs), Center for Internet Security (CIS) Benchmark, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE), Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) and Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). Identify Cyber vulnerabilities and compliance issues. Remediate existing vulnerabilities or develop mitigations that minimize risks and work with the program to incorporate findings into the system Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M). Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: Administer strict program control processes to ensure mitigation of risks and supports obtaining Assessment and Authorization (A&A) of systems. Support security process, analysis, coordination, assessment, documentation, software research. Provide security impacts and risk assessments of new system components and emerging technologies. Contribute to the implementation of the Risk Management Framework (RMF), through the required government policy (i.e., NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-37, CNSSI, etc.), make recommendations on process tailoring, participate in and document process activities. Implement, document, test, and verify established security requirements. Basic Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) with 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Masters degree in STEM with 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PHD in STEM with 1 year of related engineering experience One of the following: DoD 8570 IAM Level I, IAT Level II/ IAM Level I Certifications (Network+ CE, or Security+ CE) Experience with compliance and vulnerability reporting tools (Nessus, Nexpose, SCAP, ACAS, Nmap, SAST, DAST). Must possess familiarity/knowledge of both Windows and UNIX based platforms (e.g. RedHat and Solaris), hypervisor, and containerized environments as well as basic systems engineering principles and concepts. Experience using and working with fundamental information technology principles, concepts and techniques to include software languages, design concepts, test methods, and integration practices. Experience in the field of cybersecurity including common terms, fundamental technical elements, operating system security, network security, and software security. Active DoD Top Secret (in-scope) clearance, with the ability to obtain (and maintain) special program access (PAR). Preferred Qualifications: Masters STEM degree with experience performing Information Systems Security duties in addition to DoD 8570 IAM Level I, one of the following IAT Level II Certifications (Network+ CE or Security+ CE), and one of the following higher-level certifications (CEH, CASP+, CISM, CISSP). Experience with the implementation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) special publications, federal regulations, and DoD policies. Experience in documenting the security posture of an information system and reporting on security controls assigned to the system. Strong organizational and communication skills and experience working with people at a variety of levels within the organization. Experience with system vulnerability management and security implementation as well as direct experience with DoD A&A activities, security processes, and documentation/reporting using RMF, NIST, or CNSSI guidance as required. Experience submitting authorization content and artifacts to support authorizing authoritys ongoing assessment and risk acceptance decisions. Experience performing moderately complex security information technology tasks independently and validating security assessments and reviews. Experience applying security hardening to information systems and networks under the guidance of the RMF. Primary 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. Existing Applicants: Need to update your contact information or email address? Once logged in, click on Candidate Home in the upper right corner and scroll to the bottom of that screen to see buttons for: Update Contact information to update your legal name, address, and phone number Edit Account Settings to edit your email address 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.

Similarity vs. Compensation Matrix

How to read this chart:

This interactive scatter plot benchmarks the compensation for this position against the broader market. The vertical Golden Line represents the midpoint salary for the current requisition, while the Blue Dots map competing open roles based on their semantic match and pay scale.

Click any dot to investigate a competitor. For the best leverage, target roles in the top-right quadrant—these are highly relevant positions offering above-average compensation.

Lower Match, Higher Pay Higher Match, Higher Pay
Lower Match, Lower Pay Higher Match, Lower Pay

Similar Open Roles & Salary Benchmarks

Don't limit your search to a single application. Below is a curated list of active openings across the market. To ensure high-quality leads, we enforce a strict 70% similarity threshold—meaning these aren't just superficial keyword matches, but genuinely viable career alternatives. Use these competing benchmarks to confidently negotiate your salary expectations or apply directly to higher-paying offers.