Principal Data Engineer

About Us

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.

PLEASE NOTE- This position will require a 'face to face' interview for selected applicants. Candidates are encourage to apply ONLY if they are willing and able to travel to one of our facilities to conduct an on-site interview with our hiring team.

Join our Insights & Intelligence (i2) organization and play a pivotal role in delivering reliable, high‑quality data to power finance‑focused analytics.

As a Principal Data Engineer, you will design, build, and maintain the data pipelines that transform enterprise‑wide systems—such as SAP data—into clean, actionable information for finance stakeholders.

This position may be filled in Falls Church, VA (local candidates preferred). However, we may consider a hybrid schedule or a remote/teleworking option (subject to change) to include up to 25% business travel.

Key Responsibilities

• Design & Deploy Pipelines – Develop production‑grade data pipelines using Python/PySpark and SQL in Databricks to ingest, cleanse, and transform finance‑related data.
• Data Integration – Build and sustain data pipeline processes from SAP ERP and other financial reporting systems.
• Data Modeling – Convert high‑level design specs into physical, dimensional data models optimized for finance analytics (e.g., cost visibility, financial forecasting, earned value management).
• Reliability & Monitoring – Proactively monitor pipeline health, troubleshoot production issues, and implement fixes to guarantee high data availability and accuracy for downstream reporting.
• Business Partnership – Collaborate with senior engineers, finance analysts, and business partners to understand analytical needs and translate complex questions into technical solutions.
• Quality, Security & Governance – Enforce data‑quality standards, security controls, and governance best practices; maintain thorough documentation and adhere to code‑quality guidelines.

Basic Qualifications:

• Candidates must have a either a Master's degree or a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a similar related technical discipline
• 4 years of hands‑on data‑engineering experience is required
• 1 year focused on finance‑domain data analytics solutions is needed
• Proven experience extracting and integrating data from SAP ERP
• Experience with SQL and Python for data manipulation and transformation is needed
• Experience with Databricks or equivalent (example: Snowflake) is a must

Preferred Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor's degree in Data Science and 6 years of experience with finance‑domain data analytics solutions
• Strong working knowledge of dimensional modeling principles
• Familiarity with specific SAP data models and modules
• Understanding of fundamental data governance and Master Data Management (MDM) concepts
• Comfortable working with Git (or comparable version‑control system)

Benefits

We offer flexible work arrangements, phenomenal learning opportunities, exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers, and a very friendly team environment. 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!

Salary Information

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.

Additional Information

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.