Staff Integration & Test Engineer (SME) (26-424)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: 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.

Northrop Grumman Space Systems—Missile Defense Integration offers an excellent opportunity for a Staff Integration & Test Engineer (SME) (26-424) to join our team of skilled and diverse professionals. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, this role is essential to supporting the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense, and combatant commanders at the strategic, regional, and operational levels.

This position does not provide relocation assistance and requires on-site work with no remote options.

Position Overview:

The Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) program is a key component of the Missile Defense System. It provides a critical operational platform that enables national leadership and Combatant Commanders to:

• Systematically plan ballistic missile defense operations

• Monitor battle progress in real time

• Dynamically control networked sensors and weapon systems

• C2BMC delivers layered missile defense capabilities that optimize response to threats across all ranges and flight phases. It acts as a force multiplier by networking, integrating, and synchronizing autonomous sensor and weapon systems globally and regionally to improve overall mission performance. C2BMC is also central to ground and flight tests that verify and demonstrate current and future missile defense capabilities.

The successful candidate will join the C2BMC Regional Applications Analysis team and work directly with the C2BMC Chief Analyst. This role is ideal for a seasoned missile defense systems integrator and mission analyst who brings:

• Deep Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) domain knowledge

• A proven history of integration and test leadership across real-world operations and MDA-sponsored events

• A track record of mentoring and developing the next generation of analysts

As a Senior Analyst and Systems Integration SME, you will lead integration, test, verification, and mission performance analysis activities for C2BMC regional applications. You will serve as a trusted technical authority across engineering teams, test ranges, Warfighter organizations, and DoD stakeholders—translating complex system behaviors into clear, actionable findings that drive corrective action and inform program decisions.

Essential Functions:

• Serve as a Systems Integrator and Analyst for C2BMC regional applications, providing first-line troubleshooting and in-depth root-cause analysis of issues encountered during integration, operations, testing, and training events

• Support developers through issue investigation, problem resolution, and test verification of findings, Trouble Reports (TRs), and Change Reports (CRs)

• Conduct investigations into issues uncovered during distributed and integrated ground test events that demonstrate new BMDS functionality (e.g., System Track and related capabilities)

• Produce analyses of timelines, performance, throughput, and latency for C2BMC products used in real-world events, MDA-sponsored flight and ground tests, and Warfighter training activities

• Develop and execute test verification plans that demonstrate software functionality in benchmark and continuous integration in lab environments; use the results to assess build health upon completion

• Plan and execute integration tasks to support multiple concurrent builds; provide lab demonstrations and workshops on building enhancements for internal and external customers while maintaining system stability and performance

• Serve as a primary liaison and Subject Matter Expert (SME) among engineering teams, DoD senior leaders, test ranges, Warfighter organizations, and external partners; facilitate technical interchange meetings, technical reviews, and decision-making forums.

• Support the definition and refinement of Warfighter Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) and Concept of Operations (CONOPS); design and manage distributed training scenarios and exercises; and provide onsite, real-time SME support during Warfighter training runs and crew certifications

• Interface with Scrum teams, build teams, and lead architects across geographically distributed sites

• Integrate manual analysis methods into automated analysis tools to improve efficiency, repeatability, and traceability

• Mentor and coach junior analysts and engineers in system design, behavioral characteristics, integration and test processes, and analysis techniques

• Contribute to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and capture technical risk metrics for program reporting, aligned with missile defense acquisition milestones

Basic Qualifications:

Please list your current security clearance and IAT or relevant certifications on your resume, if applicable.

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related field from an accredited university, along with 12 years of experience; or a Master’s degree (preferred) in a related field with 10 years of relevant work experience; or 16 years of relevant work experience may be considered as an alternative to a degree
• Applicants must have a current, active in-scope Government-issued Secret security clearance at the time of application, which is required to start with the ability to be cleared to Top Secret clearance
• Proven record of producing authoritative integration, test, and analysis reports for large-scale, real-time systems (e.g., performance, reliability, functional behavior, throughput, and latency)
• Hands-on proficiency with UNIX/Linux environments (including IBM AIX) and the command line
• Experience with Agile development and collaboration tools, including JIRA, Bitbucket, FishEye, and Crucible
• Strong analytical skills, meticulous attention to detail, and a demonstrated commitment to reliability, quality, and mission success
• Strong understanding of systems and software engineering processes, principles, and lifecycles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to brief senior military officials, Warfighters, and technical peers on system behavior, anomalies, and analysis outcomes
• Demonstrated experience mentoring junior engineers and analysts and influencing technical decisions in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Applicants with a current, active in-scope Government-issued Top Secret security clearance at the time of application are highly desired

• Applicants with current, active Government-Issued 8140 certification at IAT Level II or higher (such as Security+ CE, CCNA-Security, CySA+, CND, etc.) at the time of application are highly desired. The candidate is responsible for maintaining their 8140 certifications throughout the entire contract period

• In-depth, hands-on experience with the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Fire Control (GFC) product or comparable missile defense battle management and fire control architectures

• Experience supporting real-world operations, MDA-sponsored flight and ground tests, and Warfighter training, exercise, and certification events.

• Experience with BMDS System Track (BST) functionality and distributed/integrated ground test events

• Experience designing scenarios for distributed training architecture and managing distributed training exercises involving internal and external command components

• Familiarity with CORBA Interface Definition Language and with distributed, real-time system interfaces

• Experience in developing or contributing to tools for automated assessment, parsers, and data-reduction pipelines

• Experience in applying earned value management (EVM) techniques and enhancing requirements traceability

• Exposure to secure DevSecOps practices and CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab and Jenkins)

• Prior U.S. military or intelligence experience in the air, missile, or space domains, includ