Principal / Sr. Principal Software Engineer - Backend

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Principal or Sr. Principal Software - Backend to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals located onsite in Rancho Bernardo, CA.
Join our team and build scalable pipelines from the ground up. You will play a key role in designing, developing, and maintaining modern, optimized, and high-performance data storage solutions. If you enjoy collaborating with data scientists, analysts, and software engineers to integrate and process data efficiently, we'd love to hear from you!
Accomplish We are seeking a first-principles thinker and skilled software engineer to solve complex data challenges. This is not a role for operating pre-built tools; this is an opportunity to architect and build the core data backbone of our systems. You will be responsible for creating custom, high-performance ETL pipelines from the ground up, taming complex data sources that range from structured text to esoteric third-party binary formats. Your work will involve deep data modeling, abstracting reusable patterns, and writing modular, maintainable. Python code that stands the test of time.
You should have a strong foundation in software engineering and have chosen to apply those skills to data. You believe that data pipelines are software and should be built with the same level of care, testing, and architectural foresight as any other production application.
This position is fully on-site, with no remote work available.
Essential Functions:

Architect and develop custom, maintainable ETL solutions from the ground up using Python, SQLAlchemy, and SQL Server.
Develop and optimize data storage solutions, including relational and NoSQL databases.
Write and maintain tests and documentation for data architecture, workflows, and processes.
Collaborate closely with data scientists, analysts, and other software engineers to understand data requirements and deliver robust, integrated solutions.
Champion software engineering best practices within the data domain, including comprehensive unit/integration testing, CI/CD automation (Git, Docker), and robust documentation.
Tune and optimize complex SQL queries and data processing workflows within our on-
Succeed * The individual we seek will be self-motivated, proactive, goal-oriented to help us grow our services, become even better at what we do and will possess the following qualifications.
These roles may be filled by a Principal Engineer or Sr. Principal Engineer Level.
Basic Qualifications Principal Engineer:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, with 5 years of related engineering experience, OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, with 3 years of related engineering experience
• Recent professional experience in software development.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Proficiency in SQL for relational databases (MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control (e.g., Git, Docker, etc).
• Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance or higher, and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company.
Basic Qualifications Sr. Principal Engineer:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, with 8 years of related engineering experience, OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, with 6 years of related engineering experience OR a PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field with 4 years of related engineering experience.
• Recent professional experience in software development and/or data engineering.
• Strong programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Proficiency in SQL for relational databases (MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and version control (e.g., Git, Docker, etc).
• Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance or higher, and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Master's degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering.
• 7 years of experience in software development.
• Experience with C/C++.
• Experience with machine learning pipelines and data science workflows.
• Knowledge of data warehousing concepts and tools.
• Familiarity with SQL Alchemy, Numpy, Pandas.
• Hands-on experience with cloud services (AWS, GCP, Azure) for data engineering.
• Ability to troubleshoot and optimize complex data queries and workflows.
• Familiarity with data warehousing concepts, machine learning pipelines, and MLOps.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize across the entire data stack.
Thrive with Us* At Northrop Grumman we are invested in the growth and well-being off all our employees. We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment.
Our Total Rewards Program offers a comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.
We have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that provide benefits for the member, our leaders and the company. Our ERGs offer opportunities to be a friend, be active, be a volunteer, be a leader, to be recognized and to be yourself. Every ERG is inclusive of all employees!
If you are ready to join us in defining possible, apply now.
Primary Level Salary Range: $110,300.00 - $165,500.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $137,400.00 - $206,000.00The 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.

Client-provided location(s): San Diego, CA

Job ID: NorthropGrumman-R10204765

Employment Type: OTHER

Posted: 2025-08-21T20:10:07