Northrop Grumman logo

Sr. Principal Public Affairs & Advocacy Specialist

Northrop Grumman

Falls Church, VAFull-time$118–176K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.

You apply on the employer's site, with no Olive account needed.

Watch jobs like this.

Don't just apply. Show up ready.

Olive works from this exact posting.

At a glance

Compensation
$118–176K/yr
Location
Falls Church, VA
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearance

Job overview

Northrop Grumman seeks a senior individual contributor to lead enterprise-wide strategic communications planning aligned with legislative priorities. The role integrates enterprise and program-level plans into customer-focused omnichannel strategies, supports advocacy programs and priority states, and strengthens media operations and stakeholder communications. Based at company headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, the position has a 9/80 work schedule and supports timely insights and messaging for Congress and other stakeholders.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Strategic CommunicationsExecutive PresenceIterative LeadershipCoalition BuildingInformation SynthesisStrategic ThinkingPlanningDecision-MakingCuriosityCreativityAttention to DetailQuality FocusMedia RelationsCommunicationsPublic RelationsPublic AffairsSenior Leader EngagementsFederal Legislative ProcessDoD PPBE ProcessCommunications StrategyProject ManagementOperationsStrategic Plan Editing

Qualifications

Bachelor's+10, Master's+8, Associate's+12, or High School+14 YearsRelevant Experience in Medium to Large OrganizationU.S. DoD or Federal Legislative ExperienceAgency Experience With DoD or Federal Entities

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Paid Time Off
401(k) Match

Full job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: No relocation assistance available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: No

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

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.

Northrop Grumman seeks a Sr. Principal Public Affairs and Advocacy Specialist to join our Public Relations and Public Affairs team and lead enterprise-wide strategic communications planning aligned with the company’s legislative priorities. You will build partnerships across the company to integrate enterprise and program-level plans into customer-focused omnichannel communication strategies.

This senior individual contributor role is on the Public Affairs and Media Operations team within the Public Relations and Public Affairs center of practice, based at Northrop Grumman headquarters in Falls Church, VA , with a 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off).

In this role, you will:

  • Provide Public Affairs support to key advocacy programs and priority states in partnership with Legislative Affairs and Communications colleagues

  • Lead marketing strategies for company economic impact data

  • Maintain and enhance our strategic listening program and its database

  • Integrate advocacy strategy into media operations deliverables and directly participate in our media operations

  • Support strategic partnership efforts

  • Collaborate with communicators and functional leaders to align content and advocacy with key stakeholder moments

  • Develop messaging frameworks that strengthen customer awareness of Northrop Grumman’s capabilities

  • Provide surge support during the congressional posture season, sharing relevant acquisition and theme-related insights with communication leaders

How you will make a difference:

  • Drive integrated, legislative-focused communication plans by connecting enterprise and program-level strategies

  • Strengthening Northrop Grumman’s influence in priority states, on key technologies, and with suppliers by aligning Public Affairs, Legislative Affairs, and Communications

  • Enhance data-driven decision making through economic impact data and strategic listening tools

  • Elevate media operations by embedding advocacy priorities into media deliverables and ensuring consistent narratives across channels

  • Improve responsiveness to Congress and other stakeholders with timely insights, messaging, and surge support during the congressional posture season

  • Analyze the effectiveness of company messaging by attending stakeholder events and sharing insights with internal partners

You should apply for this position if you:

  • Are a strategic thinker passionate about telling the story of cutting-edge technology for warfighters

  • Are energized by collaborating with diverse stakeholders and growing your career

  • Use communications strategies to reach priority audiences and approach opportunities with an innovative mindset

  • Strive for top performance and hold yourself accountable for quality outcomes

Skills for success:

  • Strong executive presence

  • Comfort leading through iterative processes

  • Proven coalition-building skills

  • Ability to synthesize complex topics into concise, executive-ready insights

  • Strategic thinking, planning, and decision-making

  • Curiosity and creativity with strong attention to detail

  • Commitment to quality and results

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s and 8+ years; OR Associate’s and 12+ years; OR High School Diploma and 14+ years

  • Relevant experience in media relations, communications, public relations, or public affairs for a medium- to large-sized organization

  • Experience supporting senior leader engagements with media and/or Members of Congress and staff

  • Strong understanding of the federal legislative process and the DoD Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution process

  • Ability to connect communications objectives to organizational goals

  • Strong planning, project management, and operations skills

Preferred Qualifications:

  • U.S. Department of Defense and/or federal legislative experience, or agency experience working with these entities

  • Experience composing, reviewing, and/or copy-editing strategic plans

Primary Level Salary Range: $117,500.00 - $176,300.00

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 http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Job Category: Communications

How this job compares

Set against the 482 open Public Affairs jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$118–176K/yr
  • Virginia median$148–205K/yr29 salary ranges
  • US median$160–232K/yr396 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $147K, is 16% below the Virginia median midpoint ($176K) — in the middle half of Public Affairs salary ranges in Virginia.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 42 open Public Affairs jobs in Virginia and 482 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Virginia
Experience
This posting asks for at least 14 years of experience — more than three in four Public Affairs postings that state a minimum ask for (median 8 years, across 438 postings).
Education
112 of the 482 open Public Affairs jobs (23%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

Prepare for this role

You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.