Sr Principal Cyber Software Test Engineer
Northrop Grumman· Defense· Oct 23, 2026 · 5d ago
United States-Ohio-Cincinnati
In office
Full-time
Principal
$141K–$216K est.
8+ years exp
Job description
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
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.
Join Northrop Grumman – Cincinnati (aka Xetron), part of Mission Systems sector, focused on the development of new capabilities for our military and intelligence customers around the globe. Our Northrop Grumman Cincinnati, Ohio small business culture operates collaboratively within a larger corporation providing the benefits of both. This unique relationship offers employees the ability to know everyone at the site while working on technologies and products that are beyond state-of-the-art. You and your team will wrestle with the next big problems in an atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation, sharing your expertise while learning from the expert next to you. Remember when you were excited about getting to work because of the challenge of the problem, the importance of the solution and the fun you had with your team? It's that kind of place! But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself! See why we receive comments on our YouTube Videos like “This company is insanely advanced” and “Wow. This is mind blowing.” See some of our recent Awards and Recognition and read about some of the reasons to live in Cincinnati .
We are seeking cleared Senior Principal Cyber Test Software Engineer who are self‑motivated and energetic, with a background in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical disciplines.
Responsibilities:
This position involves testing of developed solutions to national security threats with products that may involve kernel development, reverse engineering, or vulnerability research of network and communication systems. The position requires solid software development skills and test capabilities, including familiarity with scripting languages. Knowledge of computer networking, modern software development environments, embedded programming, automated software testing tools and software configuration management tools is a plus.
Essential Duties:
• Assisting with system requirements definition.
• Testing Software to ensure it meets system requirements both manually and with automated scripts.
• Writing software test plans, test procedures, and automated testing scripts.
Basic Qualifications for Cyber Software Engineer Level :
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering with 8 years relevant work experience; or Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering with 6 years relevant work experience; or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering with 3 years relevant work experience.
• Programming and automation experience in python with debugging and/or system analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, IDAPro, OllyDebug, WinDBG, JTAG debuggers.)
• Experience with System Requirements and ability to assist with Systems Requirements reviews.
• Experience writing test plans, procedures and final software assessments.
• Must be willing to work full-time onsite in Cincinnati, OH.
• Experience as Technical Lead leading teams of 2-8 engineers.
• US Citizenship required.
• Must have an active Secret clearance or higher with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret Clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Active TS/SCI Clearance with Polygraph.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Experience in software development to include any of the following: kernel mode, embedded, command and control, web applications, network applications.
• Experience with SDLC (software development life cycle.)
• Familiarity with Assembly Languages (e.g., x86, x64, MIPS, PPC, or ARM.)
• Experience with vulnerability research on one or more operating systems (Android, IOS, Windows, Linux, etc.)
• Experience with emulation (Renode, QEMU, etc.)
• Experience with reverse engineering compiled binaries using industry-standard tools such as Ghidra or IDA Pro.
• OS Internals experience.
• Development of lower-level networking protocols such as TCP/IP and UDP.
• Understanding of return-oriented programming (ROP) concepts and execution.
• Ability to develop and implement shell code.
• Ability to understand secure / insecure programming concepts (format string vulnerabilities, heap overflows, etc.)
• Familiarity with modern source control platforms (e.g., Git, GitHub, GitLab) and CI/CD workflows using tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI.
• Experience with the Agile methodology.
Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,200.00
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 northropgrumman.com. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.
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Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Health Insurance
Pto
Paid Time Off