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Senior Principal Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Mission Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

$129K - $178K/yr

Senior Principal Mission Engineer OASYS, INC., a Leading-Edge Government contractor, is seeking applicants for Senior Principal Mission Engineer to support our customer in Chantilly, VA. Summary Make ...

Senior Principal Information Engineer

Reston, VA · Hybrid

$130K - $180K/yr

This Senior Principal Information Engineer role is critical to securing user identities, credentials, application access, and cryptographic trust across enterprise and cloud connected environments.

Senior Principal Information Engineer

Reston, VA · Hybrid

$130K - $180K/yr

This Senior Principal Information Engineer role is critical to securing user identities, credentials, application access, and cryptographic trust across enterprise and cloud connected environments.

Showing results 21-40

Senior Principal Engineer information

See Reston, VA salary details

$85.3K

$161.7K

$223.2K

How much do senior principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior principal engineer in Reston, VA is $161,702.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $130,600.00 and $180,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior principal engineer?

A Senior Principal Engineer is a highly experienced technical leader who is responsible for guiding the overall engineering direction and strategy within an organization. They typically possess deep expertise in their field, provide mentorship to other engineers, and influence major architectural and technical decisions. Senior Principal Engineers often collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensure best practices are followed, and play a critical role in driving innovation. Their work has a significant impact on the company's products and technical vision.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior principal engineer?

To excel as a Senior Principal Engineer, you need deep technical expertise in your engineering discipline, advanced problem-solving abilities, and typically a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard design and simulation software, project management tools, and relevant certifications (such as PMP or PE) are often required. Exceptional leadership, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills distinguish top performers in this role. These competencies are vital for leading complex projects, driving innovation, and effectively guiding engineering teams to achieve organizational goals.

What does a senior principal engineer do?

Senior Principal Engineers often serve as technical leaders on cross-functional projects, collaborating closely with product managers, architects, and development teams to define technical direction and ensure architectural consistency. They provide deep expertise to solve complex engineering challenges, mentor other engineers, and help align project goals with the organization's strategic vision. Their role frequently involves facilitating communication between different departments and ensuring technical decisions support both immediate project needs and long-term scalability.

What is the difference between Senior Principal Engineer vs Lead Engineer?

AspectSenior Principal EngineerLead Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, with extensive industry experienceSimilar educational background, often with additional certifications or specialized training
Work EnvironmentFocuses on high-level technical strategy, innovation, and mentorship across projectsLeads specific projects or teams, overseeing technical execution and coordination
Industry UsageCommon in large corporations and R&D settingsFound in both startups and established companies, often in project-based roles

While both roles require strong technical expertise, the Senior Principal Engineer typically focuses on strategic technical leadership and innovation at an organizational level, whereas the Lead Engineer manages project execution and team coordination. The Senior Principal Engineer often operates at a higher, more strategic level within the engineering hierarchy.

What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA? The most popular types of Principal Engineer jobs in Reston, VA are:
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Full-time

Medical, Life, PTO

Posted 7 days ago


Northrop Grumman rating

8.2

Company rating: 8.2 out of 10

Based on 360 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

87th of 536 rated manufacturers


Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: PolygraphTRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescriptionAt 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.

Join Northrop Grumman on our continued mission to push the boundaries of possible across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. Enjoy a culture where your voice is valued and start contributing to our team of passionate professionals providing real-life solutions to our world's biggest challenges. We take pride in creating purposeful work and allowing our employees to grow and achieve their goals every day by Defining Possible. With our competitive pay and comprehensive benefits, we have the right opportunities to fit your life and launch your career today.

At the heart of Defining Possible is our commitment to missions. In rapidly changing global security environments, Northrop Grumman brings informed insights and software-secure technology to enable strategic planning. We're looking for innovators who can help us keep building on our wide portfolio of secure, affordable, integrated, and multi-domain systems and technologies that fuel those missions. By joining in our shared mission, we'll support you expanding your personal network and developing skills, whether you are new to the field, or an industry thought leader. At Northrop Grumman, you'll have the resources, support, and team to do some of the best work of your career.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a candidate to join our diverse team of engineers, system administrators, and operators as a Sr. Principal Cyber Systems Engineer professional in Chantilly, VA. The successful candidate will be expected to monitor, maintain, and provide Tier-2 and Tier-3 support of a mission critical network infrastructure, collect data for analysis, perform network upgrades, and be able to produce documentation and diagrams of the work they perform. The work is unique, challenging and rewarding. Most of all, its work that makes a difference.

The successful candidate should thrive in a fast-paced, quick response, work environment with high expectations, diverse assignments, and possess the ability to communicate and collaborate with multiple teams across all technical levels. The candidate must be able to lead the way to maintain and develop creative solutions to complex problems.

Responsibilities:

  • Provide Engineering and Administrative support onsite for a team of developers and testers, often deviating from industry standard procedures to meet mission needs but maintaining system security standards.

  • Develop, implement, and support solutions for systems that support mission critical and mission essential infrastructure.

  • Analyze existing systems & networks and make proactive recommendations to drive change and create efficiencies.

  • Collaborate with mission system developers to create and deploy solutions in support of customer mission needs.

  • Maintain, evaluate, test, and apply STIG configurations for network devices.

  • Respond to security findings and Break Fix events across the infrastructure.

  • Create and maintain network documentation including but not limited to Standard Operating Procedures and VISIO diagrams.

Senior Principal Engineer Network Basic Qualifications:

  • Must have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph to be considered, and ability to maintain polygraph level clearance; required to start, and must be maintained.

  • Active DoD 8570 IAT Level II, or higher, certification such as CompTIA Security+; required to start, and must be maintained.

  • 8 Years with Bachelors Degree; 6 Years with Masters; 4 Year with PhD; 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.

  • Experience troubleshooting technical issues based on OSI model.

  • Experience making ethernet cables, pulling fiber, racking equipment.

  • Firm understanding of Cisco CLI commands

  • Firm understanding of Juniper JunOS commands and or firewall concepts

  • Experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) process

  • Experience working in an integrated team environment with other systems, software and specialty engineers to develop solutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Understanding of dynamic routing protocols

  • Previous experience troubleshooting network procedures and best practices; experience with network challenges associated with systems integration, including COTS integration, and capacity analysis.

  • Experience with Linux and Windows operating systems

  • Previous experience contributing to building ATO packages

  • Experience working in Agile and O&M environments.

  • Ability and willingness to lift 50 pounds for racking server and network equipment.

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package and a work environment which encourages your growth and supports the mutual success of our people and our company.

Northrop Grumman benefits give you the flexibility and control to choose the benefits that make the most sense for you and your family. Your benefits will include the following: Health Plan, Savings Plan, Paid Time Off and Additional Benefits including Education Assistance, Training and Development, 9/80 Work Schedule (where available), and much more!

Northrop Grumman has approximately 90,000 employees in all 50 states and in more than 27 countries. We strive to attract and retain the best employees by providing an inclusive work environment wherein employees are receptive to diverse ideas, perspectives, and talents to help solve our toughest customer challenges: to develop and maintain some of the most technically sophisticated products, programs, and services in the world.

Our Values. The women and men of Northrop Grumman Corporation are guided by Our Values. They describe our company as we want it to be. We want our decisions and actions to demonstrate these Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates long-term benefits for shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve.

Our Responsibility. At Northrop Grumman, we are committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards, embracing diversity and inclusion, protecting the environment, and striving to be an ideal corporate citizen in the community and in the world.

Primary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 - $193,900.00The 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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About Northrop Grumman

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

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.

Industry

Space research administration

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Falls Church, VA, US

Year founded

1939