Principal/ Sr. Principal Electronic Network Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 5, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 4, 2026. Northrop Grumman scores B on the Alion truth index.
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.Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems is looking to add a Principal or Sr. Principal Electronic Network Engineer to join our team in Rancho Bernardo, CA, The candidate should be a self-starter with familiarity working in an Integrated Product Team construct.
The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility. There is NO remote / hybrid / telework available for this position. Travel up to 25% may be required.
Roles and Responsibilities will include:
- Design, implement, and support network infrastructure components (Routers/Switches/Firewalls).
- Monitor and optimize network performance.
- Develop and maintain network documentation, diagrams, and standards.
- Troubleshoot and root cause analysis for complex network issues and support incidents response as needed.
- Develop engineering and automated deployments for datacenter system configurations.
- Collaborate with engineers to install, troubleshoot and redline documented procedures.
- Work closely with Engineers and Technicians in a lab environment.
- Provide support to software integration lab and for end-to-end communication. Including being responsible for making network changes to the system, enhancing and improving the network system and architecture, troubleshooting complex network issues and resolving the discovered bugs.
**This position may be filled either at the Principal Electronics Engineer level OR at the Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer level based on the qualifications listed.**
Basic Qualifications
- Principal Electronics Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 5 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related engineering experience.
- Sr. Principal Electronics Engineer: Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) discipline and 8 years of related engineering experience; OR a Master’s degree in a relevant STEM discipline and 6 years of related engineering experience; OR a PhD in a relevant STEM discipline and 4 years of related engineering experience.
- Active DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, Security+ce, CCNP, and CISSP.
- Expertise with IP subnetting
- Experience with or understanding of TCP/IP, routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, BGP), and other networking concepts
- Experience with or understanding network automation scripting using Ansible, Python, Bash, and Shell.
- Knowledge of or experience with network security features like IP access-lists
- Experience with network design and/or data center architecture.
- Experience with network firewalls such as Cisco ASA, Cisco Firepower, and/or Palo Alto Networks.
- Experience with troubleshooting complex networking issues
- Familiarity with network management protocols like SNMP, SSH, syslog, RADIUS/TACACS.
- Must have an active US Government Top-Secret Clearance (with a background investigation within the past 6 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
- Ability to obtain and maintain US Government SCI clearance
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain Special Access Program (SAP) clearance, within a reasonable amount of time as determined by business needs.
Preferred Qualifications
- Current applicable Special Access Program (SAP) clearance.
- Active DoD Top Secret SCI clearance (with a background investigation within the past 5 years or enrolled into Continuous Evaluation).
- Active DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, Security+CE and CISSP.
- Professional certification specific to the networking industry such as CCNA or higher.
- Experience with Cisco technologies like Nexus switches, ACI Fabrics, Catalyst switches.
- Experience with data center architecture.
- Understanding network automation scripting using Ansible, Python, Bash and Shell.
- Knowledge of virtualization technologies like VMware and their associated networking solutions (e.g. NSX).
- Understanding advanced features like GRE, IPSEC, DMVPN, MPLS, QoS, Multicast.
- Experience with Cisco Unified Communications / VoIP.
- Familiar with network management applications, like SolarWinds, SuzieQ, Splunk, and/or Cisco ISE.
- Familiar with Windows, Linux, VMWare configuration and troubleshooting.
- Experience with HAIPE/TACLANE encryptors and other military COMSEC/CRYPTO equipment and procedures.
- Familiar with network emulator tools such as EVE-NG, GNS3, Cisco Modeling Lab (CML), Virtual Internet Routing Lab (VIRL).
- Working knowledge of DISA security STIGs and maintaining security best practices.
- Experience with tools like Jira, Bitbucket, Gitlab, GitHub.
- Experience with Kubernetes and Container networking.
- Familiar with Agile methodology.
- Familiar with version control, GIT experience preferred.
- Ability to author and maintain technical installation, configuration, and update documentation.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and the ability to interface with all levels of employees and management.
Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00The 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.