DevOps Engineer/Principal DevOps Engineer (AHT)

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
• CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
• TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

About the role

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.

Build and scale mission‑critical platforms for air and space intelligence.

Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS) is seeking a DevOps Engineer to join our team at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base.

You will be an active part of a Platform Engineering team with expertise in Kubernetes, cloud, GitLab, and related platform technologies, responsible for building, maintaining, and scaling foundational infrastructure that supports NASIC missions.

Successful candidates should

• Have a track record as an effective communicator and problem solver who can develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Be comfortable working as part of a high‑performing engineering team and collaborating across disciplines.
• Be able to work in an Agile environment and adapt to evolving priorities.

Summary of Responsibilities

As a DevOps Engineer, you will combine software development and IT operations to create a more streamlined and efficient development process by implementing and managing DevOps practices across the organization. You will help design, build, and operate the platforms and pipelines that enable secure, reliable delivery of mission applications.

Candidates may be considered for DevOps Engineer (Level 2) or Principal DevOps Engineer (Level 3) based on education and years of relevant experience.

Basic Qualifications

• Education / Years of Experience:
• DevOps Engineer (Level 2):
• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline with 2+ years of relevant experience

OR master’s degree with 0 years of experience

• Principal DevOps Engineer (Level 3):
• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline with 5+ years of relevant experience

OR master’s degree with 3+ years of experience

• Clearance and Certifications:
• Active Department of Defense Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance
• Active CompTIA Security+, SecurityX, or CISSP certification
• Core Experience:
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in DevOps, software development, or systems administration

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with configuration and maintenance of DevOps Infrastructure as Code tools and CI/CD pipelines
• Experience with OCI‑compliant container technologies and tools such as Podman or Docker
• Experience managing and troubleshooting containerized workloads, specifically using Kubernetes or Docker Swarm
• Experience with the Linux operating system and familiarity with core cloud services, including virtual machines, storage, and networking
• Experience with distributed revision control systems such as Git
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or Go to improve platform efficiency
• Kubernetes‑related certifications such as CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator), CKAD (Certified Kubernetes Application Developer), CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist), or KCSP (Kubernetes Certified Service Provider)
• Experience with the configuration and administration of CNCF tools such as Harbor, ArgoCD, Grafana, Prometheus, and Helm
• Experience implementing “security as code”, including automated vulnerability scanning and compliance‑driven infrastructure (e.g., DoD STIGs / RMF)
• Experience designing enterprise‑wide automation strategies and establishing golden paths / developer portals to reduce cognitive load for engineering teams
• Experience working in an Agile environment and familiarity with Agile principles and practices
• Experience with project / issue tracking software such as Jira and Confluence
• Demonstrated understanding of microservice architectures

#CWI2026

Primary Level Salary Range

$83,400.00 - $125,200.00

Secondary 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.