Principal Cyber Systems Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

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.

The Northrop Grumman CIDO Classified Solutions team is seeking a Classified Cyber Systems Engineer – Kubernetes or Principal Classified Cyber Systems Engineer – Kubernetes to support the deployment, administration, and sustainment of containerized platforms in classified environments. The selected candidate will be required to work on-site, full-time at our Huntsville, AL location.

The responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Deploy, configure, and maintain Kubernetes clusters and supporting platform components within classified computing environments.
- Administer and troubleshoot container runtimes such as Containerd, Docker, or Podman to support secure and reliable containerized workloads.
- Support cluster networking operations, including Services, Pods, Ingress, Egress, and core CNI concepts, to ensure reliable application connectivity and communication.
- Monitor cluster health, performance, and resource utilization, and diagnose issues related to CPU, memory, limits, requests, and workload scheduling.
- Support and improve CI/CD pipelines that deploy to Kubernetes environments using tools such as Jenkins and GitLab CI.
- Support persistent storage and stateful workloads in Kubernetes, including storage management, data protection, and disaster recovery capabilities.
- Implement and maintain monitoring and logging capabilities using platform tools such as Prometheus and Grafana to improve system observability and operational awareness.
- Troubleshoot platform, application, and infrastructure issues across Linux-based environments and coordinate resolution with engineering and mission partners.
- Document platform architecture, standard operating procedures, troubleshooting steps, and implementation activities, and share knowledge across teams to support long-term sustainment.
- Participate in system hardening, patching, and lifecycle maintenance activities to maintain platform stability, compliance, and operational readiness in classified environments.

Note: Due to the classified nature of the work being performed, this position does not offer any virtual or telecommute working options. Applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are willing to work on-site.

Basic Qualifications for Classified Cyber Systems Engineer – Kubernetes:

- Master’s degree with 0 years of experience; OR a Bachelor's degree with 2 years of relevant experience; OR an Associate’s degree with 4 years of relevant experience; OR a High School Diploma/GED with 6 years of relevant experience is required
- Candidates must meet the U.S.   Government 8140 requirements for IAT Level II (i.e., Security+ CE)
- Candidates must be able to obtain a U.S.   Government Secret security clearance (at a minimum).
- Basic knowledge of Kubernetes concepts and experience using kubectl to interact with clusters and workloads
- Familiarity with container runtimes such as Containerd, Docker, or Podman
- Familiarity with Linux system administration in a production, development, or lab environment
- Ability to troubleshoot basic platform and workload issues related to performance, resource allocation, and configuration
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document procedures and share knowledge with team members

Basic Qualifications for Principal Classified Cyber Systems Engineer – Kubernetes:

- Master’s degree with 3 years of experience; OR a Bachelor's degree with 5 years of relevant experience; OR an Associates degree with 7 years of relevant experience; OR a High School Diploma/GED with 9 years of relevant experience is required
- Meet all the Basic Qualifications for a Cyber Systems Engineer – Kubernetes and have the additional skills below:
- Proficiency with kubectl and Helm for application deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting
- Strong understanding of Kubernetes core constructs and networking concepts, including Pods, Services, Ingress, Egress, and CNI concepts
- Advanced Knowledge of container runtimes such as Containerd, Docker, or Podman
- Thorough understanding of Linux systems in production environments
- Ability to diagnose and resolve platform and workload issues related to performance, resource allocation, scheduling, and configuration
- Understanding of Kubernetes security concepts, including RBAC, Pod Security Standards, and secure configuration practices
- Working knowledge of cluster provisioning, automation, or configuration management tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Helm, Bash, or Python

Preferred Qualifications:

- Current Secret Clearance or Top Secret, SAP/SAR access, SCI access, and/or a Polygraph
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification
- Technical understanding of CI/CD pipelines that deploy to Kubernetes environments, such as Jenkins or GitLab CI
- Familiarity with Rancher and Kubernetes distributions such as RKE2 or K3s
- Hands-on experience administering Kubernetes clusters in production environments
- Advanced Proficiency with kubectl and Helm for deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting
- Working knowledge of cluster provisioning and automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Bash, or Python
- Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools such as Prometheus and Grafana
- Understanding of Kubernetes security concepts, including RBAC and Pod Security Standards
- Exposure to persistent storage and stateful workloads in Kubernetes environments, including Longhorn, PostgreSQL, or similar technologies

We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. At Northrop Grumman, we are on the cutting edge of innovation. Our diverse portfolio of programs means there are endless paths to cultivate your career. We also offer exceptional benefits/healthcare, a 9/80 work schedule, and a great 401k matching program. Come join us!

Primary Level Salary Range: $96,300.00 - $144,500.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $119,600.00 - $179,400.00

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.