Principal Software Signal Processing Engineer
Software EngineeringPosted 20 Aug 2026
Advertised as “Principal / Sr Principal Software Signal Processing Engineer”
Posted 20 Aug 2026
Advertised as “Principal / Sr Principal Software Signal Processing Engineer”
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
| Base salary | US$103,500 – US$194,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyScience (or related)
Study levelBachelor's or higher
RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
CLEARANCE TYPE: 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.
Northrop Grumman Space Systems is seeking a Principal Software Signal Processing Engineer level or a Sr Principal Software Signal Processing Engineer level to join our team supporting our DARC program. This position would be based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This role will work with us on the Deep Space Advanced Capabilities contract developing new radar digital signal processing software in support of identification and tracking of objects in geosynchronous orbit.
Job responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the following:
Designs, develops, documents, tests, and debugs applications software, and systems that contain logical and mathematical solutions.
Conducts multidisciplinary research and collaborates with equipment designers and/or hardware engineers in the planning, design, development, and utilization of electronic data processing systems for product and commercial software.
Determines computer user needs; analyzes system capabilities to resolve problems on program intent, output requirements, input data acquisition, programming techniques, and controls; prepares operating instructions; designs and develops compilers and assemblers, utility programs, and operating systems.
Demonstrated experience developing and optimizing radar signal processing algorithms and pipelines (DSP), including use of common engineering toolchains such as DSP System Toolbox / Signal Processing Toolbox / Phased Array System toolsets.
Demonstrated experience with GPGPU acceleration (e.g., CUDA) for performance-critical signal processing and/or analytics workloads.
Experience using AI-enabled engineering tooling (e.g., an AI coding assistant) to accelerate development tasks such as code explanation, refactoring, and test generation—while maintaining engineer accountability for reviewed code.
This position can be staffed at the Principal or Sr Principal level based on the basic qualifications below.
Basic Qualifications:
Principal Level: 5 years with a Bachelors in Science, 3 years with a Masters in Science degree, and 1 years with the PHD
Sr Principal: 8 years with a Bachelors in Science, 6 years with a Masters in Science degree, and 3 years with the PHD
Active DoD Secret clearance at the time of application
Experience with C++, Java, Python and CUDA
Experience with Linux
Experience with RF Signal Processing
Experience with GPU optimization
Experience with NVIDIA MatX library
Experience with AI Tooling
Experience with high side development and processes
Preferred Qualifications:
Radar knowledge: Can detail how to process a radar signal to generate a Range Doppler Map, can detail the process of using a sparse array to accomplish beamforming, can detail the concept of loss budgets and system tradeoffs, and has the understanding of application of calibration for a distributed system
C++ Knowledge: Knowledge of how to do real time processing and knowledge of current C++ standards and knowledge of latest modern C++ techniques is preferred
CUDA Knowledge: Need to understand the benefits and constraints of running signal processing code on GPGPUs and be familiar with cuFFT and/or cuSignal; Matx is preferred, but not expected
Functional familiarity with Matlab and python
Self starter: Able to take minimal direction and go off on their own, learn the system without much instruction, and approach every story with the next in mind, looking for defects and optimizations along the way
Experience with writing Signal Processing Algorithms and experience implementing signal processing algorithms is insufficient
Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 - $155,400.00
Secondary 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.