Direct Support Operator (DSO) Instructor

Step into a mission‑critical role where your expertise drives real‑world impact! Leidos is excited to offer an exciting opportunity for a talented instructor to join our team as a Direct Support Operator (DSO) Flight Instructor at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. In this role, you’ll be at the center of preparing Career Enlisted Aviators to operate the Joint Threat Warning System (JTWS) Air and next‑generation systems.

This position blends impactful classroom instruction, immersive simulator training, and mission‑focused airborne operations—giving you the chance to directly influence aviators heading into meaningful real‑world missions. Candidates must hold an active Top Secret/SCI clearance to be considered.

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.

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $17.2billion for the fiscal year ended January2,2026.

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• Serve as a Direct Support Operator Instructor, training 1A8 career field personnel for basic qualifications, mission qualifications, aircraft differences, re‑qualification, and instructor upgrades.
• Deliver engaging training on mission planning, flight safety, airmanship, threat warning, TTPs, and COMSEC procedures.
• Develop and refine classroom instruction materials and simulator scenarios.
• Advise on military SOI development, ensuring training content is cutting‑edge and mission‑relevant.
• Assess and log student performance with precision, creating individualized remedial training plans when needed.
• Travel for aircraft‑specific difference training or support to training operations across all approved 1A8 training locations, as required.

• 6+ years of experience.
• In addition to former DSO instructors or operators, we welcome former TSO operators/instructors, as well as former RJ, Compass Call, and Airborne Instructors.
• Bachelor's degree may be substituted for 4 years of experience.
• Active TS/SCI clearance required on Day1—mission readiness is essential.
• Ability to pass and maintain requisite flight physical qualifications for the duration of employment, as directed by the COR.
• Proven instructional expertise, ideally with prior flight instructor experience.
• Strong customer service skills, navigating interactions with military officers and civilian managers.
• Ability to lead independently while thriving within a high‑performance, dynamic team.
• Strong communication skills—both verbal and written.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 Office Suite and flight training and integration software, such as Patriot Excalibur (PEX) and Graduate / Training Integration Management System (G/TIMS).

Pay Range $65,650.00 - $

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.

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers.

• Competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave and Retirement

Leidos will never ask you to provide payment‑related information at any part of the employment application process. And Leidos will communicate with you only through emails that are sent from a  email address. If you receive an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment‑related information or any other personal information, please report the email to

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.