Northrop Grumman is actively hiring for 14 AI and machine learning positions across AI Software Engineer (6), Data Scientist (5), and Research Scientist (3) roles. Posted salary ranges span $151K - $265K, with 100% of listings disclosing compensation. The median posted ceiling sits at $210K. Positions are based in Beavercreek, OH, US, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, US, Corinne, UT, US. The most frequently requested skills across these postings are Python, Pytorch, Aws, Azure, Power Bi. Senior-level roles account for 78% of openings.
Skills & Technologies
Locations
Beavercreek, OH, US, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, US, Corinne, UT, US, Baltimore, MD, US, El Segundo, CA, US
Hiring by Role Category
Open Positions (14)
Associate AI Software Engineer/ AI Software Engineer (AHT)
Principal AI Software Engineer (AHT)
Sr. Principal Data Scientist (AHT)
Research Scientist Manager 2
Data Scientist
Sr. Principal Research Scientist 4
Staff AI Software Engineer
Senior Principal Research Scientist
Principal Data Scientist
Principal / Sr. Principal AI Software Engineer
Sr Principal Software Engineer - AI Software
Principal AI Software Engineer
What Northrop Grumman's hiring tells you
14 open AI roles across 3 role types puts this company in the scaling phase: past the initial proof of concept, building out a real team. Expect more structure than a startup but less bureaucracy than a major. Good fit for engineers who want ownership without building from zero. Posted compensation range ($151K - $265K) suggests transparent and competitive pay practices.
The skill mix here leans toward Python in AI Software Engineer roles. That is a clue about what Northrop Grumman is building: teams hire for the work in front of them, not the work they wish they were doing.
Questions worth asking in the Northrop Grumman interview loop
The signals above come from public job postings. The signals you actually need come from the conversation. A few questions calibrated to this company's tier:
- What problem did the first AI hire solve, and how has scope grown since?
- Where does AI sit in the engineering org, and who owns the budget?
- What is the on-call expectation for AI systems? (If unclear, that means it has not happened yet.)
Northrop Grumman AI and ML Hiring
Northrop Grumman has 14 active AI and ML roles in our dataset. Open positions span AI Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Research Scientist. Compensation ranges from $151K - $265K across disclosed roles. Roles are based in Beavercreek, OH, US, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, US, Corinne, UT, US, Baltimore, MD, US.
Salary Benchmarks
The market median for AI roles is $215,000. AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $218,500 across the market. Data Scientist roles pay a median of $192,890 across the market. Research Scientist roles pay a median of $222,200 across the market. Top-quartile AI compensation starts at $266,300.
Skills Northrop Grumman Looks For
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.
AI Role Categories
AI Software Engineer
AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Market compensation for AI Software Engineer roles: $218,500 median across 729 positions with disclosed pay.
Data Scientist
Data Scientists extract insights and build predictive models from data. In the AI era, many roles now include LLM-powered analytics, automated reporting, and integration with generative AI tools. The role has evolved from 'the person who runs SQL queries' to 'the person who builds AI-powered data products.'
Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.
Market compensation for Data Scientist roles: $192,890 median across 789 positions with disclosed pay.
Research Scientist
Research Scientists push the boundaries of what AI can do. They design experiments, develop novel architectures, publish papers, and translate research breakthroughs into production capabilities. This is where the fundamental advances happen, from attention mechanisms to diffusion models to reasoning chains.
PhD strongly preferred for most roles. Deep expertise in a specific area (NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, multimodal) is expected. PyTorch is the standard. Publication track record matters. Strong mathematical foundations in linear algebra, probability, optimization, and information theory are assumed.
Market compensation for Research Scientist roles: $222,200 median across 378 positions with disclosed pay.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 4,317 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (3,004), Data Scientist (345), AI Software Engineer (309). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (138) are outnumbered by mid-level (2,071) and senior (1,655) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 453 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (635 positions), with 3,657 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $215,000. Top-quartile roles start at $266,300, and the 90th percentile reaches $320,790. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $287,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $145,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (2,249 postings), Aws (1,224 postings), Azure (938 postings), Rag (915 postings), Gcp (660 postings), Pytorch (640 postings), Prompt Engineering (624 postings), Kubernetes (559 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 4,317 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 138 entry-level, 2,071 mid-level, 1,655 senior, and 453 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (635 positions). The remaining 3,657 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($287,500 median, 34 roles); Research Engineer ($272,100 median, 227 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($244,000 median, 23 roles).
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
What to Expect in Interviews
Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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