Software Engineer/Principal Software Engineer - Flight Autonomy (San Diego CA)
Northrop Grumman · El Segundo, CA
$91,800–$171,000from the description
Jun 28, 2026
El Segundo, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A software engineering role focused on flight autonomy systems, embedded and real-time software development for aerospace research and advanced design programs. Day-to-day work involves designing, coding, and testing flight and mission-critical software within Agile Scrum teams, collaborating with Vehicle Management Systems and Mission Autonomy groups. The role suits engineers with C/C++ or similar language experience and a background in real-time operating systems.
Mid level · 2+ years · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Mid.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
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
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $160,920 (middle half $127,530–$191,540). 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 (6)
This posting covers two levels simultaneously: Level 2 (Software Engineer, ~2+ years) and Level 3 (Principal Software Engineer, ~5+ years). The salary range spans both levels ($91,800–$171,000). The seniority assessment reflects the minimum entry point (Level 2, Mid), while the advertised title reflects the higher level named in the posting title.
The C/C++, Python, Lua, and Rust requirement is listed as a single grouped item in Basic Qualifications ('Experience developing software with C/C++, Python, Lua, Rust'). These are treated as a pool of languages where experience with the group is required, not necessarily all four individually. C++ is listed as the primary skill with the others as alternatives, though the JD does not clearly indicate which specific language(s) are mandatory.
The tools requirement ('Git, CMake, Jenkins, Visual Studio, etc.') is framed as 'familiarity with … such as', indicating the named tools are examples. Git is listed as primary with the others as alternatives; the 'etc.' signals the list is open-ended.
A Secret clearance is not required at start ('CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No'), but candidates must be able to obtain and maintain one — treated as a clearance gate.
The role is on-site in El Segundo, CA (no remote option stated). The posting notes it is contingent on program funding.
Requires a Secret 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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