RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time
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 a small, high-impact, high-visibility team designing next generation cloud architectures for critical Space Force Intelligence missions at Wright-Patterson AFB with Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems sector! As a cleared Sr. Principal Cloud Architect, you will be the go-to technical authority designing and leading implementation of secure AWS/Kubernetes solutions directly supporting national defense initiatives. You will be primarily on-site at the National Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, enabling close collaboration with mission owners, senior leadership, and implementation teams. The architect will work closely with cloud engineers, security specialists, and business owners to achieve the following:
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Partner with teams to deliver cloud solutions on schedule and in line with strategic priorities
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Operate both independently and as an integral member of an Agile development environment
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Address complex migration and consolidation challenges through innovative, forward‑thinking approaches
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Evaluate current data repositories and applications, identify opportunities for consolidation, and craft detailed migration plans to modern, efficient technologies
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Collaborate with the cloud team to refine data, IT, and cloud‑adoption strategies so that every technology component advances mission effectiveness
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Liaise with software designers, data engineers, and cybersecurity experts during the planning, design, development, and rollout of cloud architectures
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Ensure all infrastructure complies with security controls, lead the deployment of secure cloud services, and continuously vet emerging technologies to meet operational objectives
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Regularly present progress and technical roadmaps to customers and senior leadership
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Produce comprehensive process documentation, briefings, slide decks, and other deliverables to support initiatives and sustain uninterrupted mission continuity
Basic Qualifications:
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Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of experience, or master’s degree with 6 years of experience; an additional 4 years of experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
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Active IAT Level II (or higher) certification (e.g., Security+)
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Strong AWS cloud experience (e.g., VPC, IAM, EC2, S3, ECR)
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Experience with containerization and microservices
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Experience with Kubernetes (e.g., Pods, kubectl, Kustomize, Helm)
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Experience with security hardening tools and standards (e.g., SonarQube, HP Fortify, STIGs)
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Strong understanding of DoD environments, processes, and common technical infrastructure
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Strong customer communication skills
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Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban)
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Active TS/SCI clearance
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AWS Certified Solutions Architect Certification
Preferred Qualifications:
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Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket)
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Experience with visualization and monitoring dashboards (e.g., Prometheus, Kibana, Kuma)
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Experience with Microsoft Azure cloud
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Experience with the Atlassian suite (e.g., Confluence, Jira)
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Experience with Bash/shell scripting
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Experience managing secure remote connections
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Self‑motivated and fast learner
Primary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00
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.
