Cyber Systems Engineer - Level 4

Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman · Aerospace · Chandler, AZ +1 · Cyber

Cyber Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman responsible for defining, governing, and validating the security posture of a complex missile weapon system. This role involves enterprise-level security decisions, cybersecurity architecture, program protection, exportability, supply-chain assurance, and survivability. The engineer will set technical direction, mentor staff, lead design reviews, interface with customers, and ensure compliance with regulations and DoD policies.

What you'd actually do

  1. Serve as the technical authority for System Security Engineering (SSE), Anti-Tamper (AT), Cybersecurity, Exportability, and Program Protection across a major missile/weapon program. Develop overarching security architecture, strategy, and implementation roadmap.
  2. Lead the identification and classification of Critical Program Information (CPI), perform advanced threat and vulnerability assessments, and define risk acceptance criteria and trade-offs balancing security, cost, performance, and schedule.
  3. Author, review, and approve key security program artifacts: Program Protection Plan (PPP), System Security Plan (SSP), Security Classification Guide (SCG), AT Plan, Exportability Assessment, supply-chain risk assessments, and other compliance/regulatory documentation.
  4. Oversee implementation of security controls (hardware, firmware, software, supply chain, physical, personnel, industrial security) across the system development life cycle (design, integration, production, sustainment). Ensure countermeasures are effective and compliance with DoD and NIST guidance (e.g., NIST SP 800-160, RMF, DoD AT policies).
  5. Lead Verification & Validation (V&V), security testing, and certification/authorization processes, including risk acceptance documentation, and periodic security reviews.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor's degree with 8 years of professional experience or Master's degree with 6 years of professional experience
  • Demonstrated experience with Anti-Tamper design and implementation for protection of CPI on classified DoD programs
  • Deep working knowledge of DoD and NIST processes/frameworks (e.g., DoD AT policy, NIST SP 800-160, RMF, etc.)
  • Proven track record of leading security architecture for embedded weapon systems
  • Ability to obtain DoD Secret (or higher) clearance
  • U.S. citizenship
  • Strong leadership, communication, and cross-discipline collaboration skills

Nice to have

  • Prior experience authoring and leading Program Protection Plans, Security Classification Guides, AT Plans, Exportability Assessments, Supply Chain Risk Management, and other program-level security documents.
  • Demonstrated success delivering security for complex embedded/missile/weapon systems across full lifecycle, including involvement in certification/authorization and compliance audits.
  • In-depth knowledge of threat-modeling methodologies, adversary capabilities, hardware/firmware reverse-engineering countermeasures, hardware-assurance and tamper-resistance technologies, and security validation (V&V) processes.
  • Prior experience in mentoring teams, guiding SSE/AT strategy, and leading cross-functional trade studies, risk assessments, and security cost/performance trade-offs.

What the JD emphasized

  • Must have ability to obtain DoD Secret (or higher) clearance