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Principal Cybersecurity Test Engineer (Cyber Protection-Red Team)

San Antonio, Texas, United States
Full Time On-site

Summary

Job Description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI

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 Mission Systems (NGMS) is seeking a Principal Cybersecurity Test Engineer to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals conducting cybersecurity test activities in San Antonio, TX.

In this role, the Principal Cybersecurity Test Engineer (Principal Cyber Protection) assesses and tests system cybersecurity requirements, system security architecture, and system security layout. The candidate will operate in a team environment and collaborate across the organization (as required) to accomplish team goals by coordinating with customers and other testing organizations.

Duties will include but are not limited to planning, executing, and reporting cyber test activities to develop artifacts in support of authorization packages. The Principal Cybersecurity Test Engineer will perform cyber-attack path analysis of system architectures and is responsible for the security governance, risk management, and compliance of a system while it is under test for the customer. Periodic travel to operational or development sites is anticipated to perform & support cyber test activities.

Essential duties:

  • Perform Red Team cyber testing, verification, and validation
  • Validate system security requirements definition and analysis, establish system security designs, implement security designs in hardware, software, data, and procedures
  • Participate in team reviews of technical requirements, designs and implementation plans prior to deployment of systems, digital communications systems, network protocols, computer architectures, and computer security penetration tools and techniques
  • Provide cyber security implementation guidance to technical design teams and develop testing use cases to meet requirements and architecture model content.
  • Support development of technical decision-making guidance to the Cybersecurity team to ensure timely, high quality product deliveries supporting flight test events geared to meet mission requirements
  • Ensure weapon system compliance with all contractually obligated cybersecurity standards and guidance, including but not limited to CNSSI 1253, DoD 8140, DoD 8510, and AFI 17-101
  • Ensure weapon system assessments are completed to meet all contractually obligated cybersecurity standards and guidance, including but not limited to RMF and cyber survivability requirements
  • Provide input to program milestones and metrics, adhering to cybersecurity-relevant plans and schedules
  • Solve complex problems across disciplines in an Agile environment

 

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science/Engineering, Software Development/Engineering, or related STEM degree field and 5 years of related experience; or a Master's degree and 3 years of related experience. Note:9 years of related experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
  • US Citizenship is required
  • Active Department of Defense (DoD) Top Secret Security Clearance is required to be considered with the ability to obtain SCI and SAP access
  • Must possess a DoD 8570 Certification for IAT Level II or higher or acquire it within 6 months of hire.
  • Experience with penetration testing or all areas of cybersecurity test planning and execution to include functional, operational, developmental, and regression testing

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Contribute to the preparation of technical reports and briefings
  • Prior experience as an Offensive Cyber Operator (Red Team, CNO, CNE, or OCO) preferred (i.e. graduate of Computer Network Operations Qualification Course (CNOQC), Remote Interactive Operators Training (RIOT) and Future Operator Readiness, Growth & Enrichment Course (FORGE)). 
  • Prior hand-on cyber test experience in a DoD Cyber Developmental Test or Operational Test (DT/OT) organization i.e. (i.e., 96th Cyber Test Group, 346th Test Squadron).

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00

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.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States, building advanced systems across space, air, land, sea, and cyber domains. The company is known for some of the most complex defense programs in the world, including stealth aircraft, autonomous systems, missile defense technologies, satellites, and space-based intelligence platforms that support U.S. national security operations.

For job seekers, Northrop Grumman offers careers across a wide range of high-impact fields including aerospace engineering, software development, cybersecurity, systems engineering, manufacturing, program management, and intelligence support. The company is especially attractive to veterans, cleared professionals, and engineers who want to work on mission-critical systems that directly support the Department of Defense and intelligence community. Many roles involve long-term programs with significant technical depth and real-world operational impact.

Unlike smaller defense startups focused on narrow capabilities, Northrop Grumman operates across multiple major mission areas, giving employees exposure to highly advanced programs such as stealth platforms, space systems, autonomous vehicles, and next-generation command-and-control systems. The company is also a major leader in classified space and intelligence systems, where cutting-edge engineering and secure infrastructure play a critical role in national defense.

As global competition in space, cyber, and advanced military systems continues to intensify, Northrop Grumman remains one of the most strategically important employers in the defense industry. For professionals seeking stable, highly technical careers with long-term impact on national security, Northrop Grumman continues to stand out as a leading destination in aerospace and defense.

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