Senior Principal Engineer Software - Field Integration
Northrop Grumman · Melbourne, FL
$122,800–$184,200from the description
Jun 30, 2026
Melbourne, FL
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A software engineering role covering the full development lifecycle — from requirements and design through integration, testing, and field installation — on defense surveillance systems. The position involves C/C++ or object-oriented development in Windows and Linux environments, leading teams on complex integration challenges, and working with hardware-in-the-loop simulation. Suited to experienced engineers comfortable operating within large defense programs and managing subcontractor relationships.
Senior level · 9+ years · Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“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 $134,657 (middle half $104,151–$166,625). 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 (7)
The title is 'Principal Engineer Software' but the actual requirements (9 years with a Bachelor's, full-lifecycle delivery, team leadership) are consistent with a Senior-level role; 'Principal' at Northrop Grumman is an internal grade designation rather than an org-wide technical authority role, so seniority is assessed as Senior.
The JD states travel up to 50% of the time in the Basic Qualifications, which conflicts with the header field showing '10% of the Time' — the body requirement of 50% travel is the harder gate and is the more specific statement.
C/C++ is listed as a required OOP language; both C and C++ are captured as a single requirement with alternatives, as the JD treats them interchangeably alongside 'other OOP languages'.
An interim Secret clearance is required to start; a full Secret clearance must be obtained and maintained.
Degree requirement is Bachelor's in a STEM discipline; a Master's (7 yrs) or PhD (4 yrs) are accepted substitutes, making Bachelor's the minimum hard gate.
Hardware-in-the-Loop and Software Integration Lab experience appear only under Preferred Qualifications.
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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