Lead Software Engineer

Leidos is hiring a Lead Software Engineer for an onsite role in Arlington, VA to embed with an Agile Scrum team building software for unmanned and autonomous ship development for the US Government. The work spans ship automation, autonomous navigation, sensor fusion, communications, and modeling and simulation for verification and testing. You will lead technical efforts on small projects while helping strengthen engineering quality, mentor teammates, and support field testing and stakeholder communications.

What you’ll get at Leidos

• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

Responsibilities

• Analyze, design, code, and update software for new features and performance improvements.
• Contribute across the full software development lifecycle, from requirements and design through implementation, testing, and deployment.
• Act as technical lead for small projects, providing direction and maintaining technical quality.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers to support professional growth and strengthen team capabilities.
• Conduct peer reviews to ensure quality, maintainability, and alignment with best practices.
• Drive continuous process improvement by collaborating with the team to optimize workflows, tools, and engineering practices.
• Support field testing by evaluating results, analyzing findings, and translating them into actionable software enhancements.
• Communicate technical progress, risks, and solutions with client project stakeholders.
• Travel up to 25% to support field testing, client engagements, and program milestones.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a STEM field plus 4+ years of professional software development, or 2+ years with a Master’s degree.
• Understanding of data structures.
• Professional experience with C++ and Linux.
• Knowledge of the Linux operating system.
• Experience with source control and configuration management tools.
• Experience working in a team environment, including guidance and coaching of other developers.
• Exposure to one or more: high availability, sensor fusion, target tracking, path planning, communications systems, or military systems integration.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.

Preferred qualifications

• Familiarity with Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence.
• Experience with automated build processes using Bamboo, Jenkins, or similar tools.
• Professional experience with Java and front-end development frameworks.
• Knowledge of relational databases including Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, or Microsoft SQL Server.
• Experience with Python.
• Experience designing complex systems with attention to performance and user requirements.
• Experience with interface communication standards/protocols including TCP/IP, UDP, and DDS.
• Familiarity with game theory, artificial intelligence, petri nets, and safety critical software.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes (RKE2) for containerization, management, and automation.
• Experience designing, implementing, and analyzing simulations involving extensive datasets, ensuring efficient data processing and accurate modeling outcomes.
• Proficiency applying vector geometry for spatial analysis, modeling, and problem-solving in simulation environments.
• Active Secret Security Clearance preferred.

Technologies you may use

• C++, Linux
• Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence)
• Bamboo, Jenkins
• Java, front-end development frameworks
• Databases: Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server
• Python, TCP/IP, UDP, DDS
• Docker, Kubernetes, RKE2

Pay range

$87,100 - $157,450 per year

Original posting date: September 25, 2026