RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI
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.
Northrop Grumman Space Systems (NGSP) is looking for you to join our team as a** Software Systems Integrator - Level 3 or 4 **based out of Aurora, CO.
What you'll get to do:
We are looking for a seasoned Software System Integrator to join a cross‑functional agile team. The role focuses on deploying and managing Kubernetes‑based services with Helm and Helmfile, creating and maintaining configuration‑management documentation, performing end‑to‑end system integration and validation, and automating regression testing. The ideal candidate is comfortable troubleshooting in a Linux environment, understands basic Docker and Java concepts, can debug services via command line or Rancher.
Job Duties
- System Integration & Verification – Perform system integration, verification, validation, and supportability/effectiveness analyses for end‑to‑end systems. Ensuring services communicate correctly with hardware components. Use hardware command protocols such as SNMP, GEMS, or others for monitoring and control.
- Helm & Helmfile Deployments – Design, develop, and maintain Helm charts and Helmfile releases for micro‑services across all environments.
- Kubernetes Operations – Debug services running in a Kubernetes cluster using Kubernetes, Rancher, and related CLI tools.
- Docker Foundations – Apply basic Docker concepts (image building, container lifecycle, registries) and work with docker‑based software installations.
- Source‑Code Management – Manage repositories with Git (branching, merging, pull‑requests, code reviews).
- Configuration‑Management Documentation – Create and keep up‑to‑date documentation for Helm values, environment specifications, and deployment procedures.
- **Test Procedure Development, Planning & Execution ** – Ensure logical and systematic conversion of customer or product requirements into comprehensive test procedures. Develop and execute test plans, procedures, and reports (functional testing, checkout, regression testing).
- Regression Test Automation – Build automated regression test suites using Cucumber or comparable BDD frameworks.
- Linux Environment – Operate primarily in Linux, employing shell scripting and command‑line tools for automation and debugging.
- Java Awareness – Leverage a basic understanding of Java/JVM concepts when interacting with Java‑based services.
- Troubleshooting & Debugging – Diagnose and resolve deployment failures and anomalous software behavior, especially when things don’t work out of the box.
- Agile Collaboration – Participate in sprint planning, daily stand‑ups, retrospectives, and backlog grooming within a cross‑functional Scrum/Kanban team.
- Customer Interaction & Presentation – Conduct demos, gather requirements, and provide technical guidance to internal and external customers.
- Tool Utilization – Employ the Atlassian Suite (Jira, Confluence) and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Project, PowerPoint, Word) for tracking, documentation, and reporting.
This requisition may be filled at a higher job grade based on the qualifications listed below.
This requisition may be filled as either a level 3 or 4.
Basic Qualifications for a Level 3:
- Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of relevant experience – OR – Master’s degree with 3 years of relevant experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of relevant experience. Will consider an additional 4+ years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.
- Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with adjudicated Full-Scope polygraph is required at time of application
- Proficient with Git, Linux and shell scripting and a basic understanding of Java
- Understanding basic Docker concepts and Kubernetes services with the ability to debug using the command line and/or Rancher
- Experience developing test procedures, and executing functional/check-out testing
- Must have Sec+ Certification or equivalent prior to start
Basic Qualifications for a Level 4:
- Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of relevant experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of relevant experience. Will consider an additional 4+ years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.
- Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with adjudicated Full-Scope polygraph is required at time of application
- Proficient with Git, Linux and shell scripting and a basic understanding of Java
- Understanding basic Docker concepts and Kubernetes services with the ability to debug using the command line and/or Rancher
- Experience developing test procedures, and executing functional/check-out testing
- Must have Sec+ Certification or equivalent prior to start
Preferred Qualifications
- Certifications such as CKA, CKAD, or CNCF Certified Helm.
- Hands-on experience deploying services with Helm / Helmfile
- Experience with CI/CD platforms (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) integrating Helm/Helmfile pipelines.
- Deep knowledge of Kubernetes best practices, security hardening, and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki).
- Hands‑on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Good Customer interaction and presentation skills.
- Experience mentoring junior engineers or leading small project teams.
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00
Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00
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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.