Senior Embedded Software Engineer

Leidos is dedicated to making the world a safer place. This starts with helping our customers in the Defense Industry achieve their critical missions. Our dedicated Defense Group employees are solving critical challenges across the globe. 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 sustainably. 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. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions. Leidos is well known for our people-oriented culture, positive work environment, technical excellence, and resilient business ethics. 

Within the Defense Sector, the Kinetic Effects Business Area at Leidos currently has an opening for a talented Aviation Embedded Software Engineer to work in our Huntsville office. This is an exciting opportunity to use your experience to help develop software for tactical strike, sensors, CUAS, and UAS solutions.

​This position focuses on the development of robust, innovative software frameworks, as well as the fielding, support, and maintenance of software products. Software products range from analysis tools/simulations, mission planning software, and components of mission-critical systems.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and architect full-stack software solutions for airborne systems, including embedded software architecture, code implementation, unit testing, and integration of distributed software modules across subsystems and networks.

• Lead technical design decisions and influence solution approaches within the software development lifecycle, utilizing DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.

• Develop software tools, test harnesses, and infrastructure to support fully integrated solutions.

• Mentor and review work of junior engineers, providing technical guidance on design patterns, coding standards, and best practices.

• Communicate directly with customers, end users, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to define requirements, resolve technical issues, and drive project deliverables.

• Take ownership of entire software components or subsystems from concept through deployment.

Basic Qualifications

• Candidate must possess at least a bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent technical degree with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

• Candidate should have 12+ years of relevant technical experience or 10+ years with MS degree. 

• Design and architect full-stack software solutions for airborne systems, including embedded software architecture, code implementation, unit testing, and integration of distributed software modules across subsystems and networks.

• Lead technical design decisions and influence solution approaches within the software development lifecycle, utilizing DevOps and CI/CD pipelines.

• Develop software tools, test harnesses, and infrastructure to support fully integrated solutions.

• Mentor and review work of junior engineers, providing technical guidance on design patterns, coding standards, and best practices.

• Communicate directly with customers, end users, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to define requirements, resolve technical issues, and drive project deliverables.

• Take ownership of entire software components or subsystems from concept through deployment.

• Have excellent teamwork and communication skills.

Clearance Qualification

• Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance (interim and final).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience establishing, improving, or adapting disciplined software engineering processes and development standards.

• Proven ability to coordinate and deliver across multiple products under development by distributed teams, managing technical dependencies and integration points.

• Hands-on experience with embedded software including device drivers, board support packages, boot loaders, Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS), and Hardware Description Language (HDL).

• Working knowledge of hardware systems including microcontrollers, single board computers, common peripheral interfaces, and hardware test equipment.

• Experience with software architecture patterns and design principles for embedded and distributed systems.

• Track record of identifying and resolving complex integration issues across hardware/software boundaries.

• Experience with configuration management tools, version control systems, and automated build/test frameworks.

• Domain knowledge in defense systems, avionics, or guided munitions highly desirable.

• Experience mentoring engineers on embedded software best practices or leading technical design reviews.

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 14, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

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.