Senior Chief Engineer

Job Description

Leidos is seeking a Senior Chief Engineer to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, leading the transformation of next‑generation flight service and air traffic management systems supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This high‑visibility leadership role will help drive the modernization of critical aviation infrastructure by replacing legacy systems with advanced, cloud‑enabled technologies that enhance safety, resiliency, and operational efficiency across the National Airspace System.

This mission‑focused effort supports the FAA’s broader modernization strategy to deliver scalable, future‑ready flight service capabilities for pilots and aviation stakeholders, particularly in remote and high‑dependency operational environments. The work directly impacts the future of aviation safety and the evolution of mission‑critical air traffic and flight services across the country.

As the Program Chief Engineer, you will serve as the senior technical leader responsible for shaping engineering strategy, driving execution across a large‑scale Agile development program, and ensuring alignment between technical delivery, customer priorities, and program objectives. You will establish the technical roadmap and engineering execution framework while leading cross‑functional teams through complex modernization efforts involving cloud technologies, Agile delivery, Dev Sec Ops , automation, and AI‑assisted development practices.

The role requires a dynamic leader who can balance strategic vision with operational execution, proactively identifying technical risks and driving mitigation strategies, aligning engineering organizations around mission priorities, and delivering high‑quality solutions in a fast‑paced, mission‑critical environment. You will work closely with FAA customers, program leadership, architects, and engineering teams to guide technical decision‑making and ensure successful program outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• Masters with 15‑20 years of prior relevant experience or Doctorate with 13‑16 years of prior relevant experience.
• Proven experience developing and executing complex technical program plans and schedules.
• Demonstrated experience identifying program risks, root causes, and mitigation strategies.
• Strong understanding of quantitative management principles and delivery metrics aligned to program objectives.
• Proven ability to lead and align large cross‑functional engineering organizations around strategic goals.
• Strong leadership, communication, team‑building, and customer engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to make timely, data‑informed decisions in dynamic environments and take ownership of resulting outcomes.
• Experience leading startup program execution and large‑scale technical modernization initiatives.
• Demonstrated leadership of formal FAA test programs.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading large Scaled Agile (SAFe) development organizations.
• Experience designing and implementing cloud‑based technical solutions.
• Experience championing AI‑assisted software development and engineering modernization initiatives.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies, principles, and delivery tools.
• Experience with Dev Sec Ops  practices, automation, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of air traffic control systems, general aviation, and/or flight services.
• Experience supporting FAA modernization or mission‑critical aviation systems programs.

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.