AI/Automation Engineer - Level 2 (Chandler) (AHT)

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No CLEARANCE TYPE: None 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.

Expand your horizons, advance your career, and contribute to a secure future for generations to come. Northrop Grumman’s Space Sector invites you to bring your pioneering spirit to our collaborative teams. As an AI / Automation Engineer – Level 2 in Chandler, AZ, you’ll be a key contributor to missions of national importance, helping define what’s possible from day one. This position is 100% onsite and cannot accommodate telecommute work.

We are seeking a highly motivated AI / Automation Engineer to join our dynamic team. In this role, You will design, develop, deploy, and support AI-enabled automation solutions that integrate existing LLM and agentic capabilities into engineering and infrastructure workflows. The role emphasizes bringing AI-enabled tools into operational use in on-premise and classified environments.

This role sits at the intersection of AI, automation, CI/CD, and infrastructure, giving you the opportunity to:

• Build and integrate AI-enabled automation capabilities into engineering workflows
• Deploy and support LLM-enabled, agentic, and RAG-based solutions
• Enable reliable delivery through containerization, CI/CD, and infrastructure support

Join us and be part of a team driving innovative solutions at the forefront of space systems and advanced software!

Your Role and Impact

In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, document, test, and debug AI-enabled automation capabilities that integrate existing LLM services, APIs, and engineering tools into operational workflows.
• Build, deploy, and support agent orchestration frameworks and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions, including integrations with vector databases and enterprise data sources.
• Support containerized, on-premise and classified environments at scale, with cloud-based deployment exposure also valued.
• Troubleshoot deployed AI and automation solutions, resolve integration and performance issues, and improve observability, availability, and maintainability over time.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain containerized applications using Docker or comparable container technologies, with attention to load balancing, virtual-machine resource utilization, and system performance.
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, version-control practices, and automated deployment workflows that enable reliable delivery of AI-enabled tools and services.
• Partner with software, DevOps, infrastructure, and mission stakeholders to identify automation opportunities and transition solutions into production use.
• Provide infrastructure support by resolving container, system-performance, resource-utilization, and availability issues that affect deployed solutions.

• Communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, both in writing and verbally.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

If this job description reads like it was written specifically for you, we’d like to talk with you.

Basic Qualifications for Level 2:

• Bachelor’s degree with 2 years of professional experience – OR – Master’s degree with 1 years of professional experience – OR – PhD with 1 year of professional experience.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance.
• Hands-on experience integrating and deploying LLM-enabled applications, including model hosting, agentic workflows, RAG, and inference considerations. Experience with advanced fine-tuning and inference optimization is preferred and may be developed in the role
• Experience integrating APIs, LLM services, and agent orchestration frameworks into applications or operational workflows. Experience with LangChain, Mastra, or comparable toolchains is welcome
• Experience with Docker or comparable container technologies is required. Experience with orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes or OpenShift is beneficial
• Experience developing, hosting, or supporting AI/ML applications in on-premise containerized environments; cloud-based deployment experience is also valued
• Working knowledge of CI/CD, version control, automated deployment practices, and infrastructure fundamentals. Experience with tools such as GitLab, Jenkins, or similar platforms is preferred

• Hands-on experience working in Linux environments, including scripting and system configuration.
• Proficiency in Python or Go (Golang) with a strong background in software development, debugging, and testing.
• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines and vector databases.

• Strong working understanding of LLM deployment considerations, including hosting, inference, and operational reliability.

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Active DoD Secret Security Clearance or higher
• At least 3 years of related professional experience
• Experience with advanced fine-tuning and inference optimization
• Cloud-based deployment experience
• Experience with tools such as GitLab, Jenkins, or similar platforms

Curious about all the exciting developments with the Northrop Grumman Space Sector? Click the link below:

Working at Northrop Grumman is more than just a paycheck. We offer a comprehensive Total Rewards and benefits package designed to help you thrive at work and in life. For more information on our Total Rewards package, please visit our Total Rewards site.

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Primary Level Salary Range: $79,300.00 - $118,900.00 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 U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.