Senior Software Engineer

Leidos is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to support the development of mission-critical software for missile defense systems. The selected candidate will contribute to the design, development, integration, and demonstration of advanced software capabilities in a fast-paced engineering environment. This role requires close collaboration with integrated engineering teams and strong technical communication skills to support delivery of high-quality software solutions to customers.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop mission-critical software in support of missile defense systems.
• Communicate and document technical solutions for integrated engineering teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Maintain awareness of current and emerging programming techniques, technologies, and development approaches.
• Conduct software design reviews and code reviews to ensure technical quality, maintainability, and compliance with program objectives.
• Collaborate with Systems Engineering teams to synchronize development activities, support scheduling priorities, and demonstrate capabilities to customers.
• Apply software engineering best practices, including debugging, testing, code review participation, and maintainability improvement.
• Plan and prioritize assigned tasks with minimal supervision while contributing effectively in a team-based development environment.
• Demonstrate initiative in identifying improved development workflows, tools, and engineering practices, including emerging AI-enabled development capabilities.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Mathematics, or related technical discipline from an accredited institution, with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• 10+ years of relevant technical experience, or 8+ years with a master’s degree in a related field.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Active DoD Secret Security Clearance required.
• Solid understanding of software engineering fundamentals, including debugging, testing, code reviews, and maintainability.
• Ability to plan and prioritize tasks with minimal supervision and communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently on well-defined tasks and contribute effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Demonstrated curiosity and initiative in adopting new tools and improving development workflows, including emerging AI capabilities.
• Experience using the Linux operating system.
• Experience designing and developing software using Modern C++, C, Java, and Python.
• Experience with embedded programming.
• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) such as VxWorks or FreeRTOS.
• Experience with common development tools and IDEs such as Eclipse and VS Code.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Scrum methodology or other Agile development practices.
• Experience with Agile management tools and concepts such as Jira.
• Experience with software configuration management tools such as Git and GitLab.
• Proven experience mentoring developers across multiple experience levels.
• Practical experience using AI-assisted software development tools in a development environment, such as Claude Code.
• Demonstrated ability to validate, debug, and improve AI-generated code and technical recommendations.

Clearance Requirement

• Active DoD Secret Security Clearance required.

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:

July 21, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

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.