Security Clearances

  As a partner with the United States government and military, the majority of jobs at Northrop Grumman require the individual to acquire and maintain a security clearance. Security clearances are used to certify that someone can be trusted with sensitive information. They are granted by the government and are used for specific purposes.  

A clearance may be at the Confidential, Secret or Top Secret level and is typically granted through the DoD via the Office of Personnel Management. If you currently hold a clearance at your present employer or through the military, it may be transferable to Northrop Grumman. Clearances are typically transferable for a two-year period from the date of debrief. Please notify the Talent Acquisition representative handling your application if you hold a current DoD clearance.

If you do not hold a security clearance, you will be required to go through a background check before being granted a clearance. You will be asked to complete an Electronic Personnel Security questionnaire that contains information regarding your family and questions about your personal background.

The Electronic Personnel Security questionnaire requires disclosure of the following:

• Everywhere you have lived and who can verify that location
• Your education
• Who your parents, your siblings, your spouse and children are and where they live (if you don't know, you may indicate that)
• Everywhere you have worked, your military history and who your supervisor was
• Everywhere you have traveled outside the U.S. and the purpose of the travel

Personal questions on the Electronic Personnel Security questionnaire

• Your employment record
• Your police record
• Your close contacts with foreign nationals in the U.S. or overseas and your ownership of overseas property
• Your use of drugs or alcohol that may have been illegal or resulted in arrest, counseling or treatment
• Your mental state and whether you have been in treatment or counseling (other than marriage counseling)
• Your personal financial history including bankruptcy, wage garnishments, repossessions, tax liens and unpaid judgments
• Whether you have been a party to any civil court actions
• Whether you have ever had a security clearance revoked
• Whether you belong to an organization that advocates the overthrow of the U.S.

Your digital footprint may be considered during the course of a background investigation. Here are a few steps you should consider taking before applying for a security clearance:

1. Enter your name into a search engine

See if you appear in images, videos, articles, text or comments you've made on others' content.

2. Review social media profiles

• Are they accurate and updated? Are they consistent?
• Are there any fake accounts using your info?

3. Clean it up

• Set limitations and privacy features.
• Delete old accounts and be consistent across accounts.
• Delete or remove inappropriate content.
• Request others remove negative content (if you don't own it).

This process is not designed to select perfect people, but rather those people that exhibit high standards of honesty and integrity.

Eligibility to obtain a security clearance requires an individual to demonstrate the following:

Personal character

• Loyalty to the United States — Reliability
• Trustworthiness — Discretion
• Honesty — Sound judgment

Professional character

• Free from conflicting allegiances and potential for coercion
• Willingness and ability to abide by regulations involving the use and protection of classified information
• Access to classified information is clearly consistent with the national security interests of the United States

What can disqualify you?

• You are not a U.S. citizen.
• You were dishonorably discharged from the military.
• You are currently involved in illegal drug use.
• You have been judged as mentally incompetent or mentally incapacitated by a mental health professional.
• You have had a clearance revoked for security reasons.
• You are considered a dual citizen, AND you are currently holding a passport from a country other than the U.S.

What may not disqualify you but may delay the receipt of a DoD clearance?

• You have significant foreign national contacts (immediate family members living in other countries).
• You own property in another country.
• You have been convicted of a felony within the past 10 years.
• You have a significant history of financial problems with heavy indebtedness and late payments (over 180 days), bad debts, fairly current tax liens, repossessions and garnishments.

If you currently hold a clearance at your present employer or through the military, it may be transferable to Northrop Grumman.

Clearances are typically transferable for a two-year period from the date of debrief. Please notify the Talent Acquisition representative handling your application if you hold a current DoD clearance.

Northrop Grumman executes contracts that require access to U.S. government intelligence community information. Most intelligence agencies conduct their own investigations or will transfer a current DoD security clearance, reviewing the adjudication prior to granting access.

If you have current “access” from a restricted program customer, please tell the Talent Acquisition Representative handling your application. If you cannot reveal the name of the customer who granted the access, the Security department will determine the access level without violating any secrecy requirements.

To receive a restricted program access, will require a current DoD clearance, and you may be required to undergo an additional investigation and agree to a polygraph.