Senior Principal Engineer Software (DevOps)
Northrop Grumman · Melbourne, FL
$122,800–$184,200from the description
Jul 1, 2026
Melbourne, FL
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior-level software engineering role focused on building and maintaining integrations that enable automated data exchange between independently developed software tools and systems. Day-to-day work involves designing and implementing API-based integrations, supporting CI/CD pipelines, and collaborating with cross-functional teams on requirements and deployment. Suits experienced software engineers comfortable with Python, C/C++, and tools such as Jenkins, with the ability to obtain a DoD Top Secret clearance.
Senior level · 8+ years · Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL · Bachelor's required · Top 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 (8)
The title 'Senior Principal Engineer Software' maps to Principal in advertised seniority, but the actual requirements (8 years with a Bachelor's, standard software integration work) are consistent with a Senior-level role. Northrop Grumman uses 'Senior Principal' as an internal grade that does not correspond to the Staff/Principal bands on a typical career ladder.
The degree requirement is Bachelor's (in a STEM field) as the minimum path; a Master's or PhD with fewer years is also accepted, but the floor is a Bachelor's degree — equivalent experience is not offered as a substitute.
Total years minimum is set to 8, reflecting the Bachelor's + 8 years path (the most common entry point). The Master's + 5 and PhD + 3 paths are alternative routes to the same role.
Java is mentioned in the narrative description as a scripting language context but does not appear in the formal Basic Qualifications section; it is listed as preferred accordingly.
Atlassian tools, Cameo, and Ansys appear under Responsibilities framed as 'familiarity with' — not in the Basic Qualifications block — so they are treated as preferred.
CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and Kubernetes appear under Preferred Qualifications.
The clearance gate is a DoD Top Secret; an interim clearance is required to start, with full TS required to be maintained. The posting also notes that an active in-scope Secret or TS is a preferred qualification (i.e., already holding one is a plus).
Requires a Top 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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