Sr. Principal Operations Support Engineer – Level 4
Northrop Grumman
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Aurora, CO · Posted October 19, 2026
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About the job
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Polygraph
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.
Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector is seeking a Sr. Principal Operations Support Engineer – Level 4 to join our team in Aurora, CO. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.
*Please be aware that this position will be contingent upon capturing program award(s), obtaining and maintaining customer funding, and holding final clearances (if applicable) prior to start date.*
The Sr. Principal Operations Support Engineer is developing and maintaining a strong technical understanding of systems to aid in identification and troubleshooting potential issues and ensuring maximum availability and capability. Troubleshooting of real-world operations issues
Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Development of products and CONOPs for the 24x7 operation of a mission-critical system
Trending of operational data and simulation of products and CONOPs before transition to operations
Returning systems to an operational state, ensuring the health and safety of the systems while maximizing mission availability
Review or develop standard operating procedures that are executed real-time on the operational system for standard events and anomaly recoveries
Developing scripts and products to automate the operations of complex systems
Develop suites of operational products for newly delivered systems
Other duties as assigned
*This position is contingent upon capturing program award(s), obtaining and maintaining customer funding, and holding final clearances (if applicable) prior to start date*
This position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field with 8 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 6 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 4 years of professional experience.
Requires an active Top-Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance with an active Counterintelligence (CI) Polygraph at time of application
Prior operations and/or systems engineering experience
Experience with Linx OS and Linux scripting tools.
Scripting languages either PERL, python, or MATLAB
Ability to work a non-traditional work week that will include occasional 12-hour shifts and weekends per business need
Experience working in a geographically diverse team and matrix organization
Experience with Atlassian tool suite (e.g. Confluence, JIRA, etc.)
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience working with multi-site customer organizations
Experience troubleshooting live telemetry on operational systems
Experience automating processes and scripts
Experience with optical systems
Experience with data science methods
Experience with analyzing imagery and telemetry
Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:
https://www.northropgrumman.com/space
Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.
Northrop Grumman Total Rewards
Primary Level Salary Range: $142,200.00 - $213,400.00
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.