RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE TYPE: UK-Highest Level of Government Clearance

TRAVEL: Yes, 10 of the Time

What’s your possible?

At Northrop Grumman UK, you are part of a team driving innovation where it matters most – solving tomorrow’s challenges and shaping the technology and solutions of the future. It’s what we call Defining Possible. This mindset goes beyond our customer solutions; it’s the foundation for your career development and the impact we have within the community.

The Opportunity

This is more than just a job; it’s a mission.

As a Principal Cloud Solutions Architect, you will be a key part of our Secure Cloud Solutions team, helping customers refactor, re‑platform and rehost mission‑critical systems into AWS. Your work will directly transform customer environments, improving reliability, reducing cost and enabling agility through Infrastructure as Code and DevSecOps techniques.

This role combines high‑level technical leadership with hands‑on architecture delivery. You will design cloud solutions, lead large‑scale implementations, coach junior engineers, and contribute to internal Centres of Excellence.

“A challenge a day is probably the simplest way to summarise an Architect’s role at Northrop Grumman. Flexibility and adaptability are key. Be inquisitive and ready to innovate.”
Guy, Principal Cloud Solutions Architect

Role Responsibilities

• Elicit functional and non‑functional requirements with senior engineers and stakeholders, supporting junior engineers through the process.
• Produce high‑quality system design documentation, including high‑ and low‑level designs and operational concepts.
• Lead the implementation of large‑scale or complex cloud solutions across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring robust documentation and testing.
• Coach and mentor engineers, sharing knowledge through demonstrations, training and internal knowledge bases.
• Set technical direction and quality standards across projects, reviewing engineering outputs to ensure consistency and excellence.
• Manage team tasking, schedules and budgets, working with project managers and stakeholders to deliver against financial limits.
• Produce user‑centric documentation including CONOPS, procedures, support guides and user guides.
• Lead investigations into complex issues and defects, ensuring proper reporting and oversight.

Candidate Requirements

Essential
• Experience in IT systems design, deployment and administration, with recent technical or team leadership experience.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, plus relevant specialist certifications.
• Demonstrable experience designing, deploying and administering AWS cloud solutions.
• Extensive experience administering Linux or Windows operating systems in large corporate environments.
• Strong experience troubleshooting and designing IPv4 networking.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code using AWS CDK, CloudFormation or Terraform.
• Experience of Docker or Kubernetes for virtualisation or containerisation.
• Experience working in complex or high‑security environments.

Desirable
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of DevOps practices, Git workflows and secure network architecture.
• Experience with config management tools such as Ansible or Puppet.
• Experience using Agile delivery tools such as Jira or Confluence.
• Knowledge of ITIL‑based service management.

If you don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We value diverse experiences, perspectives and potential.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of this role, you must be a UK national.
You must be able to gain and maintain the highest level of UK Government security clearance.
Our recruitment team is here to support you and answer any questions: talentenquiriesuk.ngc.com

Benefits

• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Optional compressed fortnight
• Private healthcare
• Cash health plan
• Holiday buy and sell scheme
• Career development and training opportunities
• Performance bonuses

Why Join Us?

A Mission to Believe In
Every day, we contribute to building a more secure and connected world, supporting national security missions through cloud transformation and innovation.

A Place to Belong and Thrive
Every voice matters. You will join an inclusive, supportive team that values collaboration, respect and shared learning.

Your Career, Your Way
Shape your future with mentoring, development opportunities and pathways that fuel your curiosity. Enjoy flexibility, wellbeing support and long‑term career investment.

Ready to apply?

Yes – Submit your application online.
Possibly – Contact our team for more information: talentenquiriesuk.ngc.com
No – Explore other opportunities with us. We’re growing across the UK.

Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce, and encourages individuals from all backgrounds and all abilities to apply and consider becoming a part of our diverse and inclusive workforce.