At Leidos, we are advancing mission-critical platforms that simulate, interact with, and act on complex technical and business environments. These platforms enable teams to engage with network operations, automate business processes, and gain insight through intent-driven and agent-based systems.
The team operates with a strong belief in “everything as code,” using version-controlled artifacts and automation to manage not only infrastructure and software, but also agent behavior, workflows, documentation, and compliance-related controls.
The Senior Software Engineer / Technical Lead is a hands-on technical leader responsible for building and evolving platforms that simulate complex systems, automate operations, and enable AI- and agent-driven interaction with technical and business environments. This role combines deep individual contribution with technical leadership. You will actively write code, build agents, and design AI-enabled services while also guiding architecture, mentoring engineers, and ensuring that software, infrastructure, systems engineering, and security are integrated into a cohesive, compliant development lifecycle.
Primary Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and maintain distributed systems and microservices (hands-on coding role)
- Build, integrate, and evolve intelligent agents and AI-enabled services using LLMs and automation frameworks
- Define and implement patterns for agent orchestration, system interaction, and decision workflows
- Drive adoption of Infrastructure as Code, automation, and “controls-as-code” practices
- Partner closely with systems engineers and ISSEs to embed requirements and security into platform design and code
- Establish development standards for GitHub-based collaboration, testing, and documentation
- Mentor mid-level engineers through code reviews, pairing, and technical guidance
- Lead integration of CI/CD pipelines, security tooling, and ATO considerations into everyday development
- Collaborate with stakeholders to translate mission and operational needs into scalable technical solutions
- Contribute to an “everything as code” approach, expressing infrastructure, automation, agent behavior, workflows, and operational artifacts as version-controlled, testable code
- Define and promote patterns for expressing intent, requirements, automation, and controls as code, enabling consistency, traceability, and automation across the development lifecycle
Required Skills and Experience
- BS degree and 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Demonstrated experience designing and building complex or distributed systems
- Strong hands-on experience developing backend services and microservices
- Experience working with AI/ML systems, including LLM integration in production environments
- Strong background in cloud-native architectures and Infrastructure as Code
- Experience delivering software in secure, regulated, or compliance-driven environments
- Ability to bridge software development, systems engineering, and security disciplines
- Strong technical communication and leadership skills
- Must have and maintain a Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building agent-based or autonomous systems in production
- Familiarity with AI orchestration frameworks and patterns (e.g., tool-using agents, multi-agent systems)
- Experience supporting ATO through automation, documentation, and technical leadership
- Active Security+ certification or equivalent IAT Level II certification
- Background mentoring engineers and leading technical decision-making
- Passion for applying AI and automation to real-world operational challenges
- Experience applying “as code” approaches beyond infrastructure (e.g., configuration-as-code, policy-as-code, workflows-as-code, documentation-as-code)
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:October 22, 2026For 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.
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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Experience designing and building complex or distributed systems
- Strong hands-on experience developing backend services and microservices
- Experience with AI/ML systems, including production LLM integration
- Strong background in cloud-native architectures and Infrastructure as Code
- Experience delivering software in secure, regulated, or compliance-driven environments
- Ability to bridge software development, systems engineering, and security disciplines
- Strong technical communication and leadership skills
- Active Secret security clearance that can be maintained
- Experience building agent-based or autonomous systems in production
- Familiarity with AI orchestration frameworks and patterns, including tool-using agents and multi-agent systems
- Experience supporting ATO through automation, documentation, and technical leadership
- Active Security+ certification or equivalent IAT Level II certification
- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical decision-making
- Experience applying configuration-as-code, policy-as-code, workflows-as-code, or documentation-as-code approaches
Leidos Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Leidos and has not been reviewed or approved by Leidos.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as comprehensive, with multiple plan options, low office-visit copays in some plans, and access to mental health and wellness support tools. The availability of HSA/FSA options and employer contributions is positioned as a meaningful part of the total package.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are framed as a strong component of total rewards, highlighted by a 401(k) match and immediate vesting in the standard package. The Employee Stock Purchase Plan is also presented as an additional long-term wealth-building feature.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing and lifestyle supports extend beyond core insurance, including wellness programs, fitness-related stipends, and assistance resources. Work flexibility and related perks are also included as part of the broader rewards experience.
Leidos Insights
What We Do
We Are Leidos For 50 years we have been tackling some of the biggest problems that face our nation and our world. OUR MISSION Through our culture of innovation and history of performance, we develop deep customer trust built on integrity and create enduring solutions that improve our world. Leidos is a science and technology solutions leader working to address some of the world’s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and healthcare markets. The company’s 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020. Leidos was cited for the meaningful work employees perform that is challenging, impactful, and aligned with our customers’ missions as reasons professionals want to work and stay at our company. Leidos has also been named to lists including Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity, Forbes’ America’s Best Employers for Women, Military Times Best for Vets Employers, and Ethisphere Institute’s World's Most Ethical Companies®. Employees enjoy career enrichment opportunities available through mobility and development and experience rewarding relationships with supportive supervisors and talented colleagues and customers. Employees appreciate our flexible work environment, allowing for and encouraging a true work-life balance. Our professionals are also excited about our Employee Resource Groups, like the newly launched Collaborative Outreach with Remote and Embedded Employees (CORE), which strives to create an environment where every employee, regardless of location, feels fully engaged as a valued employee of Leidos. Your most important work is ahead.
