Full Job Description
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
Description
Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Ground Software Development Lead 6 Level 5 to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within the Space Superiority Division.
This handson technical and leadership role is located in Dulles, VA.
This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work. This position will work a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.
Position Description
The Ground Software Development Lead will be responsible for leading the endtoend software development lifecycle for a highvisibility ground software capability, following the Northrop Grumman SAFe Agile framework. In this role, you will lead a small, focused team of ~10 615 software developers to deliver frequent, highquality increments aligned to the program 27s Product Roadmap.
You will work in a fastpaced environment with direct, routine interaction with the Chief Engineer, Program Manager, IPT leadership, and external customers, supporting major program milestone events and readiness reviews. To be successful, you should bring strong handson technical skills in software development and ground segment experience for space systems, combined with excellent communication and leadership skills.
Responsibilities
6 Lead a small, highperforming Agile ground software team (~10 615 engineers) to deliver incremental capabilities, interfaces, and defect fixes in alignment with the ground segment Product Roadmap, with an emphasis on schedule execution and quality.
6 Serve as the primary ground software technical lead, guiding architecture, design, implementation, and integration decisions; provide handson technical direction and help resolve complex implementation trade 2offs.
6 Act as a key interface for ground software with:
6 Chief Engineer
6 Program Management
6 IPT / subIPT leads
6 External customers, particularly in support of major milestone events (e.g., design reviews, readiness reviews, demos).
6 Coordinate and prepare technical content and briefings for recurring customer and internal reviews, including Integrated Design Reviews, PI Prioritization, Release Planning, Program Management Reviews, and key milestone events.
6 Maintain team performance (velocity and quality) by removing obstacles, coaching the team, and refining processes to increase efficiency and predictability.
6 Provide EVMaware leadership for the ground software scope:
6 Partner with CAMs/IPT leadership on staffing, schedule, and scope trades.
6 Monitor progress against cost and schedule baselines; contribute to variance analysis, forecasts, and corrective actions.
6 Chair or colead recurring Agile ceremonies for the ground software team, including PI Planning, Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews, and daily standups.
6 Collaborate closely with Systems Engineering, Cyber, DevOps, Training, and Integration & Test teams to ensure ground software capabilities integrate cleanly into the overall ground segment and mission concept of operations.
6 Communicate effectively and clearly present technical approaches, risks, and recommendations at technical and program boards.
6 Challenge the status quo and drive continuous improvement by streamlining nonvalueadded processes, improving workflows, and championing best practices across the ground software team.
Basic Qualifications (Required)
6 Active TopSecret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance at time of application (U.S. Citizenship required).
6 Level 5 (Staff):
6 Bachelor 27s degree with 12 years of software development experience;
6 An additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a completed Bachelor 27s degree.
6 OR Master 27s degree with 10 years of software development experience.
6 OR PhD with 8 years of software development experience.
6 Strong, indepth technical background in software development, including design, implementation, integration, and troubleshooting.
6 Experience with ground segment or ground software for space systems (e.g., mission operations, command & telemetry, data processing, or ground infrastructure).
6 Experience leading software development teams (preferably small, focused teams in the range of 8 620 engineers) to deliver complex capabilities.
6 Experience working in an Agile development environment (SAFe or similar), including planning and executing sprints or PIs.
6 Experience leading requirements development, testing, and verification activities for software systems.
6 Demonstrated ability to write and present technical information to customers and executive/program management.
6 Experience with the Atlassian tool suite (e.g., Jira, Confluence) or similar Agile lifecycle management tools.
6 Awareness of Earned Value Management (EVM) practices, with experience supporting or partnering with CAMs on cost/schedule tracking, forecasts, and variance analysis.
Preferred Qualifications
6 Degree in a STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics).
6 Handson technical lead experience on ground software for space or similar complex, distributed systems.
6 Experience in one or more of the following areas (tailor these as needed):
6 Modern OO languages such as C++, Java, or C#.
6 Linuxbased development environments.
6 Cloudnative architectures and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
6 Telemetry/command, mission planning, or ground data processing systems.
6 Proven ability to operate effectively in a fastpaced, highvisibility environment, including direct customer interaction and support of major milestone events.
6 Strong communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution and negotiation with positive outcomes while maintaining strong customer and stakeholder relationships.
6 Demonstrated track record of driving team efficiency by streamlining processes, improving workflows, and introducing pragmatic best practices.
6 Experience mentoring and developing earlycareer engineers.
Total Rewards
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
#SpaceEngJobs
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 27s 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.
