Software Engineering Manager 2 - SW Lead
Northrop Grumman · San Diego, CA
$139,100–$241,700from the description
Jul 1, 2026
San Diego, CA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A dual technical and functional leadership role overseeing a team of roughly 10–20 software engineers through the full development and test lifecycle in an Agile environment. The position involves coordinating across systems engineering, test automation, and DevSecOps disciplines to deliver mission-critical embedded software, while managing team progress through Agile metrics and practices. It suits an experienced software professional with a background in real-time or safety-critical systems who is ready to step into formal people management.
Senior level · 9+ years · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
“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
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $211,286 (middle half $169,099–$267,976). 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 role is dual-hatted: it carries genuine people-management responsibilities (leading a team of 10–20, functional management, cost account management) which points to 11-3021, but the Basic Qualifications heavily gate on hands-on software development skills (4+ years in specific languages, RTOS experience, SDLC), making 15-1252 a credible runner-up.
Two locations are listed — San Diego, CA and Grand Sky, ND. San Diego is the larger and more likely primary site; Grand Sky (near Emerado, ND) is a small UAS facility. The CBSA is reported as San Diego.
The 9-year minimum applies to candidates with a Bachelor's degree; 7 years applies with a Master's. The lower bound (9 years with BS, 7 with MS) is used for the overall years minimum per the minimum-of-range rule.
The programming language requirement (Java, C, C++, Python) demands at least 4 years with at least TWO of the listed languages. Java is listed as the primary skill with the others as alternatives, though the JD requires proficiency in at least two — this is a structural limitation of the single-skill model.
The data interface requirement (1553, RS-232, Ethernet/IP, Fiber Channel) is framed as 'familiarity with most of' — softer language than the surrounding required items — so it is listed as preferred.
The posting notes this opportunity is contingent on program funding, and start dates depend on funding confirmation.
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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