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Principal Engineer Data

Pay
$114,000–171,000/yearAnnual period assumed — pay source
* CompTIA Security+ Certification or Equivalent 8570 Certification Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 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.
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Work setting
Not stated
Employment
Full-time — employment source
Employment type in the employer’s posting: FULL_TIME
From the employer’s posting

Before you apply

Work authorization
Citizens onlyYour ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company

What you’ll work on

Full posting
  • Develop and run a data architecture plan that supports business goals

  • Build and maintain data models and metadata standards

  • Lead technical assessments to digitize core business functions

  • Gather data requirements from business stakeholders and build solutions

  • Give architectural recommendations across technical teams and product owners

From the employer’s posting
Develop and run a data architecture plan that supports business goals and objectives
Build and maintain data models and metadata standards to facilitate data integration and analysis
Lead a technical and technology assessment initiative to develop and deliver a recommendation for digitizing core business functions
Work with business stakeholders to understand their data requirements and develop solutions to meet those requirements
Work across technical teams and product owners to provide an architectural recommendation
Education & alternatives
Basic Qualifications * Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 5 years of experience OR Master’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 3 years of experience * Experience with data architecture, data models, physical database designs, data integration strategy and design for operational systems, systems integration, and analytical systems
Preferred Qualifications: * Master’s degree in a STEM field with 7 years of relevant experience. * 5 years of experience working with ETL techniques and frameworks.
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Posting record

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Status in our records
Live
First seen by us
Oct 4, 202631 days ago
Recorded sightings
156
Last seen by us
Nov 4, 2026
Employer says posted
Sep 29, 2026

These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.

How this job compares

Pay

In line with similar jobs

$114K–$171K against $127K–$190K, the middle half of what similar US postings state.

From 2,133 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.

Time since we first saw it

Day 31

Similar jobs usually come down between day 6 and day 54.

From 10,782 similar postings that came down. Coming down is not always a hire.

Northrop Grumman is hiring

21 open jobs

Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.

  • Data Engineer hiring is picking up
  • Takes jobs down quickly
  • 14% of open jobs were reposted
Hiring record

See how this role fits your experience

Add your resume and we’ll mark which of these tools you already use, and point out anything in the posting that could rule you out.

  • Python
  • SQL
  • Databricks
  • Hadoop
  • MongoDB
  • Neo4j
  • NoSQL
  • Power BI
  • Spark
  • SQL Server
  • Tableau
  • Airflow
Where the posting names them
* 5 years of experience working with ETL techniques and frameworks. * Expert in Python, SQL, and data visualization tools. * Experience with NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4J, etc.)
* Experience with data architecture, data models, physical database designs, data integration strategy and design for operational systems, systems integration, and analytical systems * Experience with SQL Server and proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, etc.) * Knowledge of data governance best practices, data quality standards, and data security protocols
* Development experience utilizing Hadoop, Spark, PowerShell, and automation scripts. * Experience with data platform technologies (e.g., Palantir, Databricks, etc.). * Experience with Data Virtualization, Warehousing, Cataloging, and Orchestration tools (e.g. Denodo, Collibra, Airflow, DataHub, etc.)
* Experience with NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4J, etc.) * Development experience utilizing Hadoop, Spark, PowerShell, and automation scripts. * Experience with data platform technologies (e.g., Palantir, Databricks, etc.).
* Expert in Python, SQL, and data visualization tools. * Experience with NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4J, etc.) * Development experience utilizing Hadoop, Spark, PowerShell, and automation scripts.
* Experience with data platform technologies (e.g., Palantir, Databricks, etc.). * Experience with Data Virtualization, Warehousing, Cataloging, and Orchestration tools (e.g. Denodo, Collibra, Airflow, DataHub, etc.) * Experience with UI/UX design and development / Graphic Design

Your next step

Complete your application on jobs.northropgrumman.com. The employer’s form will show what is required.

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About the role

We file this job under Data Engineer, by the work the posting describes.

Data engineers build and run the pipelines that copy data out of apps and outside services into a warehouse or lake, and fix them when a source changes or a load fails.

Expect SQL, Python, a cloud platform, a scheduler such as Airflow, and often tools for large data such as Spark or Kafka.

An analytics engineer works one step later, turning the raw data a data engineer lands into clean tables people can query.

US government figures for database architects

Median yearly pay, May 2025
$139,500
Expected change, 2025 to 2035
9.4% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs

The government has no code for data engineers, so these figures are for the closest group, database architects, which includes data integration and data warehousing specialists.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 15-1243.

Job description

View original posting ↗

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret TRAVEL: No ## 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 Aeronautics Systems Sector has an opening for a Principal Data Engineer to join our Digital Strategy & Analytics team. This position is located in Rancho Bernardo, California. Are you motivated to work in an environment that will challenge you, force you to continuously innovate, and work on solutions that make a difference for your customers? Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems relies on our team to provide the insights needed to drive performance across a broad range of strategic activities. We are looking for a passionate Data Engineer to design and develop an ecosystem of interconnected business systems, virtualized data pipelines, data catalogs, and end-user consumable data products. You will share in the ownership of the technical vision and direction for a Digital Ecosystem that changes the way we see and use data. We are looking for people who are self-motivated, hardworking, and have demonstrated the ability to find innovative solutions to complex technical problems. Essential Functions: Develop and run a data architecture plan that supports business goals and objectives Build and maintain data models and metadata standards to facilitate data integration and analysis Work with business stakeholders to understand their data requirements and develop solutions to meet those requirements Work across technical teams and product owners to provide an architectural recommendation Lead a technical and technology assessment initiative to develop and deliver a recommendation for digitizing core business functions Understand the current business processes, systems and their functions to be able to develop a recommendations for the digital ecosystem Ensure that data storage and retrieval solutions are in line with business requirements. Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skill Collaboration and problem-solving skills Basic Qualifications * Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 5 years of experience OR Master’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field with at least 3 years of experience * Experience with data architecture, data models, physical database designs, data integration strategy and design for operational systems, systems integration, and analytical systems * Experience with SQL Server and proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, etc.) * Knowledge of data governance best practices, data quality standards, and data security protocols * Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Secret clearance and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company. Preferred Qualifications: * Master’s degree in a STEM field with 7 years of relevant experience. * 5 years of experience working with ETL techniques and frameworks. * Expert in Python, SQL, and data visualization tools. * Experience with NoSQL Databases (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4J, etc.) * Development experience utilizing Hadoop, Spark, PowerShell, and automation scripts. * Experience with data platform technologies (e.g., Palantir, Databricks, etc.). * Experience with Data Virtualization, Warehousing, Cataloging, and Orchestration tools (e.g. Denodo, Collibra, Airflow, DataHub, etc.) * Experience with UI/UX design and development / Graphic Design * Top Secret clearance * CompTIA Security+ Certification or Equivalent 8570 Certification Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 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.
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Pay
* CompTIA Security+ Certification or Equivalent 8570 Certification Primary Level Salary Range: $114,000.00 - $171,000.00 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.
Location & working pattern

San Diego, CA, US

Working pattern and location restrictions need checking in the full posting.

Work authorization
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.

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