Post-Quantum Cryptography Engineer

The Digital Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Post‑Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Engineer. This remote role supports the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information & Technology (OIT), Office of Information Security (OIS), on the Cybersecurity Operations Systems Engineering (COSE) program.

As a PQC Engineer, you will contribute to the design, implementation, assessment, and continuous improvement of enterprise security architecture and engineering capabilities across the VA’s IT environment. Your work will help unify enterprise‑wide cybersecurity practices and support alignment with Zero Trust principles, NIST frameworks, and federal cybersecurity requirements. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams to strengthen the VA’s ability to protect sensitive information for more than 18 million Veterans, Families, and Caregivers.

In this role, you will provide specialized expertise in quantum computing, cryptography, post‑quantum cryptography, and cryptographic modernization in support of the VA COSE program. You will evaluate existing cryptographic technologies, assess quantum‑related cybersecurity risks, and develop strategies for transitioning VA systems and applications to secure, quantum‑resistant cryptographic standard

This position is contingent upon contract award.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide technical expertise in quantum computing, quantum information science, cryptography, and post-quantum cryptography to support VA cybersecurity architecture and engineering initiatives.

• Analyze the potential cybersecurity impact of quantum computing technologies on existing VA systems, applications, infrastructure, data protections, and cryptographic implementations.

• Apply knowledge of quantum mechanics, quantum information theory, and quantum algorithms, including algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s algorithms, to evaluate current and emerging cryptographic risks.

• Assess existing cryptographic implementations, protocols, algorithms, certificates, keys, and supporting technologies to identify systems that may be vulnerable to current or future quantum-enabled threats.

• Develop and maintain an enterprise cryptographic inventory identifying cryptographic algorithms, protocols, implementations, dependencies, technologies, and systems across the VA environment.

• Analyze the cryptographic inventory and establish risk-based migration priorities based on mission criticality, data sensitivity, cryptographic exposure, technology dependencies, and emerging quantum threats.

• Develop and maintain Cryptographic Inventory and Migration Plans defining strategies, timelines, sequencing, and priorities for transitioning VA systems to approved cryptographic standards, including post-quantum cryptography where applicable.

• Develop and recommend Post-Quantum Cryptography migration strategies that enable the VA to transition from existing cryptographic approaches to quantum-resistant algorithms in a controlled and secure manner.

• Provide technical guidance for cryptographic modernization aligned with applicable NIST post-quantum cryptography standards, including FIPS 203, FIPS 204, and FIPS 205.

• Evaluate and recommend quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms and technologies for use within enterprise systems, applications, networks, cloud environments, data protection solutions, and identity infrastructures.

• Provide subject matter expertise in traditional cryptographic protocols and technologies, including RSA, AES, public-key cryptography, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), encryption, digital signatures, key management, and related security mechanisms.

• Evaluate interoperability, compatibility, implementation complexity, performance, security, and operational impacts associated with replacing or upgrading legacy cryptographic technologies.

• Identify cryptographic dependencies and potential migration challenges across applications, infrastructure, network technologies, cloud platforms, identity systems, security tools, and enterprise services.

• Support the development of crypto-agile architectures and engineering approaches that enable cryptographic algorithms and technologies to be replaced or upgraded as standards and threats evolve.

• Perform technical analysis, prototyping, modeling, and testing using classical and quantum simulation tools to evaluate quantum algorithms, cryptographic techniques, and potential security impacts.

• Develop, implement, and test cryptographic algorithms and related engineering solutions using programming languages such as Python, C++, and Java.

• Utilize quantum development languages, frameworks, and platforms such as Qiskit, Cirq, Quipper, and the Microsoft Quantum Development Kit to support research, simulation, testing, and technical analysis.

• Conduct specialized security posture assessments for Post-Quantum Cryptography and other emerging technologies, documenting risks, vulnerabilities, technology implications, and recommended mitigation strategies.

• Support security architecture reviews and engineering assessments to identify cryptographic weaknesses, architectural gaps, security risks, attack paths, and residual risk associated with existing and proposed systems.

• Develop technical recommendations for mitigating cryptographic vulnerabilities and reducing exposure to “harvest now, decrypt later” and other quantum-related cybersecurity risks where supported by applicable VA risk assessments and modernization activities.

• Support development of secure solution architectures, security patterns, reference architectures, and engineering guidance incorporating modern and post-quantum cryptographic protections.

• Ensure cryptographic solutions and modernization recommendations align with applicable Federal security standards, VA security requirements, NIST guidance, and enterprise cybersecurity architecture.

• Provide technical input into VA security policies, engineering standards, cryptographic guidance, modernization plans, and governance documentation.

• Participate in technical design reviews, architecture reviews, modernization initiatives, pilots, engineering working groups, and governance forums requiring cryptography or quantum computing subject matter expertise.

• Collaborate with cybersecurity architects, security engineers, application teams, cloud engineers, DevSecOps personnel, network engineers, identity teams, program managers, and Government stakeholders to coordinate cryptographic modernization and PQC migration activities.

• Communicate complex quantum computing and cryptographic risks in clear business and mission terms to technical teams, program leadership, and non-technical executives.

• Develop technical assessments, white papers, implementation recommendations, risk analyses, briefings, and presentations addressing quantum risk, cryptographic posture, migration readiness, and modernization priorities.

• Track emerging quantum-computing capabilities, cryptographic technologies, and evolving standards to identify potential impacts to the VA enterprise and recommend appropriate engineering or modernization actions.

• Support project and lifecycle management activities associated with cryptographic modernization, including requirements development, configuration management, risk tracking, implementation planning, and transition sequencing.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field

• Minimum 10 years of IT experience, including at least 5 years of quantum computing and cryptography experience at a large corporation or Government agency comparable to GSA, IRS, DoD, or VA

• Certification in one of the following: IAT III, IAM III, or IASAE III

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.

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.