Software Engineer Level 2 or 3

Company: Northrop Grumman
Location: Aurora
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time Description At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. You will be a core member of an agile software team that builds and sustains mission?critical systems for national security. Our Aurora campus hosts programs ranging from small, single?scrum teams to large, multi?team efforts that span remote sites. Key technology stacks include: Micro?service, event?driven architectures – Docker, containerization Back?end services – Python (primary language), Java, C/C++ (maintenance) Front-end user interfaces – Angular, Typescript Emerging work – Rust for performance?critical components DevOps workflow – GitLab builds, Cucumber testing, cloud deployments Operating environment – Red Hat Enterprise Linux You’ll have the flexibility to deepen expertise on a single program or rotate across internal opportunities to broaden skills, experience, and mission exposure. What You’ll get to Do: Develop, test, and maintain Python back?end services. Contribute to the design and implementation of Rust modules as the team transitions to this language. Participate in Agile ceremonies (sprint planning, stand?ups, retrospectives) and use modern CI/CD pipelines. Work with Docker?based containerized applications and deploy them on Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments. Troubleshoot and support existing C/C++/Java code bases for legacy sustainment. Collaborate with cross?functional teams (DevOps, SRE, QA) to ensure high?quality, secure releases. Mentor junior engineers and share best practices in code quality, testing, and security. Drive continuous improvement of development processes and tooling. Monitor and support operational systems. About our organization: Our Aurora Software & Digital Engineering department comprises 200 engineers, DevOps specialists, system administrators, DBAs, and network engineers—from entry?level talent to chief architects. Engineers often serve as informal subject?matter experts and may assume formal technical?leadership roles. Career progression into higher?level technical or leadership positions is strongly supported. The software group partners closely with Systems Engineering, Integration & Test, and Hardware Engineering, fostering cross?program collaboration, professional development, and community events (lunch?n?learns, campus mixers, etc.). Basic Qualifications: Level 2 : Bachelor’s degree in STEM related field with 2 years of software development experience. Or 4 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree. Level 3 : Bachelor’s degree in STEM related field with 5 years of software development experience; 3 years with a Master's; 0 years with a PhD; or 4 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree. Must have active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility at time of application. Experience in development in Python. Experience developing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or other Linux operating systems. Some experience with PostgreSQL or other relational database systems (schema design, queries, performance tuning). Hands?on experience with Git and Agile development practices. Candidate must be able to obtain a Counterintelligence Polygraph (CI-Poly) and Security certification. Preferred Qualifications: It is preferred that a candidate has some of the qualifications below: Front?end development with Angular and TypeScript. Experience with Rust development (or strong interest in learning Rust). Java, C, or C++ development experience for legacy code support. Experience building and maintaining containerized applications (Docker). Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline construction, automated testing, and deployment automation. Experience with Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket). Exposure to DevOps or Site Reliability Engineering practices. Ability to thrive on small, autonomous teams and contribute to cross?team collaboration. If you’re passionate about building cutting?edge software, eager to work with Python and emerging Rust technologies, and thrive in a collaborative, mission?driven environment, we want to hear from you. Join us and help define what’s possible. Primary Level Salary Range: $91,800.00 - $137,600.00 Secondary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business. The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Keywords: Northrop Grumman, Lakewood , Software Engineer Level 2 or 3, IT / Software / Systems , Aurora, Colorado