Lead Software Engineer

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At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

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Leidos’ Defense Systems , Threat Modeling and Simulation Portfolio , is seeking a talented lead software developer with the ability and experience to work multiple projects (primarily modeling & simulation efforts) within the Threat Modeling and Simulation Portfolio.

You will join a diverse team of junior-to-senior software developers, engineers, and scientists to help create unique solutions for complex problems. Our team solves important problems that make a difference and support our customers in the current and future defense of our nation; primarily in the areas of sensor characterization, modeling, simulation, data analysis, and algorithm development for electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) systems. The ideal developer candidate will also demonstrate experience in and/or enthusiasm toward developing a broader technical capability to support overlapping engineering and scientific disciplines with a particular focus on writing software to solve problems. Candidate will be expected to support multiple tasks in parallel, productively contribute to a team environment, and communicate effectively to management, coworkers, and customers.

You’ll work within an established and very skilled team, alongside other contractors and our customers.

Joining our team offers the opportunity to work with experts in their field and grow your career in an area that is appealing to you. You will quickly become an integral member of our team and be given the opportunity to take responsibility for challenging problems of your own. Because of this, we seek team members that are driven and engaged in their work while simultaneously demonstrating high character, given that you will often be working on sensitive and unique problems which require a high degree of trust from our customers.

If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos Defense Systems Sector provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions. To explore and learn more, click here !

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Primary Responsibilities.

• •Candidate can expect to work closely with a team of engineers and scientists to write software (using primarily C++ and C#) to solve problems in a variety of disciplines to include EO/IR sensor systems.
• •Candidate is also expected to have the ability to work and to communicate effectively within a multidisciplinary team and have familiarity with software development for both Windows and Linux OS.

Basic Qualifications:

• •Candidate must possess at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in software engineering, computer science, or an equivalent engineering or science degree with relevant software development experience.
• •Strong, demonstrated experience in object-oriented programming principles and proficiency in C++.
• •Demonstrated experience in software design principles and version control (Git).
• •Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• •4-8 years of experience in a related field.
• •Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance. (U.S. Citizenship is required for consideration)
• •Candidate must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville – North Alabama, AL, area.

Preferred Qualifications:

• •Highly organized, demonstrating the ability to work independently due to a fast-paced and highly productive work environment .
• •Interest in working multiple programs with intermediate ability in C# and Python, along with ability to create design documentation, requirements specifications, and other technical documentation.
• •Experience or interest in one or more of the following: EO/IR phenomenology, image processing, Kalman filtering, GPU programming and/or CUDA programming, developing AI/ML solutions, build systems such as CMake
• •Preference may be given to candidates with one or more of the following: recent stellar academic performance, a SECRET clearance or above; a TS/SCI clearance (with CI Polygraph).

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:

August 4, 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 $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

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.