Software Engineer - Level 2 or 3
Northrop Grumman · Aurora, CO
$91,800–$171,000from the description
Jul 21, 2026
Aurora, CO
Jul 22, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A software engineering role at Buckley AFB in Aurora, Colorado focused on designing, developing, testing, and debugging applications and systems software, including work on compilers, utility programs, and operating systems. The position involves collaborating with hardware engineers, analyzing system requirements, and working within Agile frameworks. It suits candidates with an active TS/SCI clearance and a background in software architecture and development.
Senior level · 5+ years · Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
What the occupation pays Median $140,636 (middle half $126,359–$175,118). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
This posting covers two levels simultaneously: Level 3 (Senior, ~5 years) and Level 4 (Principal/Sr. Principal, ~higher). The salary range spans both tiers ($91,800–$137,600 for the primary level; $114,000–$171,000 for the secondary level). Seniority is assessed at the Level 3 (lower) gate; the role may be filled at a higher grade.
The posting labels the lower-tier qualifications as 'Level 2' in the heading but describes the role as 'Level 3 or 4' in the title — this appears to be a copy-paste inconsistency in the JD. The Level 3 qualifications (5 years with a Bachelor's) are treated as the primary gate.
A Bachelor's degree is listed but 4 additional years of experience may be substituted in lieu of a degree, so the degree requirement is set to None.
Perl and Python are explicitly called 'desirable' within the Basic Qualifications section — an unusual placement for preferred skills, but the word 'desirable' clearly marks them as non-gating.
An adjudicated Counterintelligence Polygraph (CI-Poly) is listed under Preferred Qualifications — not a hard gate.
An active TS/SCI clearance is a hard requirement at time of application.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): software architecture.
Requires a TS/SCI clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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