Description

The Leidos Defense Sector currently has an opening for a Lead Software Engineer to support advanced image analysis and mission software development efforts within our Space Vehicle Agile Release Train environment. This is a unique opportunity to serve as the primary technical liaison for our Space Vehicle software repository and architecture, supporting multiple Agile teams contributing to a complex image analysis system.

In this role, you will work closely with scientists, software engineers, and integration teams to ensure software development aligns with established architecture standards, Agile processes, and mission objectives.

The selected candidate will help modernize and sustain critical capabilities while mentoring teams in software engineering best practices, code quality, and CI/CD processes. The ideal candidate will bring strong technical leadership, experience working across multi-disciplinary teams, and the ability to guide software modernization efforts in a collaborative Agile environment.

This is a hybrid position that requires several days per week of working in SCIF at Arlington - VA, Huntsville - AL, or San Diego - CA. Candidates are expected to live within commuting distance from 1 of those 3 locations.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead a small team of software engineers supporting an advanced image analysis system
• Serve as the Space Vehicle technical liaison for multiple Agile teams working within the Space Vehicle repository
• Collaborate closely with scientists and algorithm developers to transition and integrate analytical capabilities into operational software systems
• Guide development teams in following Agile methodologies, software engineering best practices, and established architecture standards
• Conduct code inspections and peer reviews as a primary technical reviewer
• Provide technical recommendations on software organization, maintainability, portability, and readability
• Interface with external consumers of the system, including partner software development teams and stakeholders
• Gather system requirements and translate enhancement requests into Agile features and user stories
• Organize, prioritize, and track team activities using Agile workflow management tools such as Jira
• Lead release planning, sprint planning, and iteration review activities
• Ensure rigorous software integration, testing, and validation processes are implemented across the system and its components
• Upgrade, maintain, and improve Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and development workflows
• Mentor junior software engineers in sound software engineering and development practices
• Support troubleshooting, debugging, and resolution of software defects across integrated systems

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline with 15+ years of relevant software engineering experience, or Bachelor's degree with 17+ years of relevant software engineering experience
• Deep hands-on experience with leading Agile Release Trains or scaled Agile environments for software integration team / multi-disciplinary / cross-functional teams and experience operating within the Scrum framework
• Must have experience with simulation tool (preferably AFSIM)
• Must have experience using MATLAB to model or analyze complex algorithms
• Experience designing and developing complex, modular software systems
• Experience leading or mentoring teams of 3 or more software engineers
• Experience coordinating across multi-domain teams within a large-scale program environment
• Experience with software development lifecycle processes, including code development, testing, and integration activities
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills with the ability to systematically isolate and resolve software defects
• Experience with integration and test activities, including automated testing approaches
• Experience developing and maintaining technical software documentation
• Proficiency with version control and collaborative development tools such as GitLab
• U.S. Citizenship required
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD SECRET security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Jira, GitLab, Visual Studio Code, IDE, C++, and embedded software development environments
• Experience with Docker containerization technologies and container-based development workflows
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline modernization and DevSecOps practices
• Experience supporting image analysis, sensor processing, or mission systems software
• Active DoD SECRET clearance

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:
May 22, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:
Pay Range $154,050.00 - $278,475.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at LeidosCareersFraud@leidos.com.

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.