Sr. Principal Cyber Systems / Network Engineer
Northrop Grumman
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Fairfax, VA · Posted October 21, 2026
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November 2026
- #5Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Mid-Atlantic2.0% · of 84
- #6Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Southeast2.0% · of 84
- #8Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the Southeast15% · of 84
- #8Best cities for junior jobs in Virginia36% · of 26
- #9Cities with the most jobs that need no experience2.0% · of 100
- #12Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic37% · of 55
Rankings about security jobs
- Best cities for security jobs #1 San Francisco (316 openings)
- Best cities for security pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($241k)
- Most requested AI skills in security jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (10.8%)
- Employers with the most security jobs #1 Amazon (318 roles)
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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.
Join Northrop Grumman on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real-life solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today.
At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We’re looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we’ll support you expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you’ll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a candidate to join our diverse team of engineers, system administrators, and operators as a Sr. Principal Cyber Systems / Network Engineer professional in Chantilly, VA. The successful candidate will be expected to monitor, maintain, and provide Tier-2 and Tier-3 support of a mission critical network infrastructure, collect data for analysis, perform network upgrades, and be able to produce documentation and diagrams of the work they perform. The work is unique, challenging and rewarding. Most of all, its work that makes a difference.
The successful candidate should thrive in a fast-paced, quick response, work environment with high expectations, diverse assignments, and possess the ability to communicate and collaborate with multiple teams across all technical levels. The candidate must be able to lead the way to maintain and develop creative solutions to complex problems.
Responsibilities:
Provide Engineering and Administrative support onsite for a team of developers and testers, often deviating from industry standard procedures to meet mission needs but maintaining system security standards.
Develop, implement, and support solutions for systems that support mission critical and mission essential infrastructure.
Analyze existing systems & networks and make proactive recommendations to drive change and create efficiencies.
Collaborate with mission system developers to create and deploy solutions in support of customer mission needs.
Maintain, evaluate, test, and apply STIG configurations for network devices.
Respond to security findings and Break Fix events across the infrastructure.
Create and maintain network documentation including but not limited to Standard Operating Procedures and VISIO diagrams.
Senior Principal Cyber Systems / Network Engineer Basic Qualifications:
Must have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph to be considered.
8 Years with Bachelors Degree; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Year with PhD; 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
Experience troubleshooting technical issues based on OSI model.
Experience making ethernet cables, pulling fiber, racking equipment.
Basic understanding of Cisco CLI commands
Experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) process
Experience working in an integrated team environment with other systems, software and specialty engineers to develop solutions.
Preferred Qualifications:
Understanding of dynamic routing protocols
Firm understanding of Juniper JunOS commands and or firewall concepts
Previous experience troubleshooting network procedures and best practices; experience with network challenges associated with systems integration, including COTS integration, and capacity analysis.
Experience with Linux and Windows operating systems
Experience with virtualization technologies (e.g., Red Hat KVM, VMware, libvirt/virsh, Docker, and Kubernetes)
Previous experience contributing to building ATO packages
Experience working in Agile and O&M environments.
Primary Level Salary Range: $156,400.00 - $234,600.00
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.