Principal Software Engineer

Leidos is a FORTUNE 500® company bringing a mix of innovative technology and sector expertise to customers in the national security, engineering, and health industries. We deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers' success. Guided by our Mission, Vision, and Values, Leidos empowers its teams, contributes to its communities, and operates sustainably—always with a commitment to doing the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community.

The Leidos Intel Sector combines technology-enabled services and mission software capabilities in the areas of cyber, logistics, security operations, and decision analytics to support Intelligence Community customers as they address evolving national security challenges.

Leidos is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide advanced software engineering and technical leadership for complex mission software systems. You will develop, maintain, integrate, and enhance software while helping establish the technical approaches, development processes, and quality standards used across software-development efforts. At this level, you will serve as a technical lead across multiple software-development teams, coordinate closely with customers and systems engineering, evaluate new technologies and processes, and help ensure developed and modified software meets demanding functional, performance, interface, and operational requirements.

Depending on assignment, the technical environment may emphasize Linux and Splunk platforms, cloud and distributed data technologies, full-stack application development, Python/C++ development, or Linux-based mission data-processing systems.

Complex mission software requires more than strong individual development skills. It requires experienced technical leadership capable of making sound engineering decisions across teams while maintaining quality, performance, integration, and mission alignment. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will apply deep technical expertise while helping guide how software is designed, developed, tested, integrated, and delivered across complex engineering efforts.

Analyze user requirements to derive software design and performance requirements. Design and code new software and modify existing software to add capabilities. Debug software, correct defects, adapt applications to new hardware, and improve performance. Develop and implement algorithms that meet or exceed system functional and performance standards. Design or implement complex algorithms subject to strict timing, system-resource, or interface constraints. Design, develop, and modify software systems using scientific analysis and mathematical models to evaluate design outcomes and consequences.

Integrate existing software into new or modified systems and operating environments. Develop data queries for existing or proposed databases and data repositories. Design and implement complex database and data-repository interfaces and queries. Develop software solutions by analyzing system performance standards, system flows, data usage, work processes, and technical problem areas. Confer with systems engineers and hardware engineers to derive software requirements and understand project limitations, capabilities, performance requirements, and interfaces.

Contribute to system-design decisions involving hardware/software tradeoffs, software reuse, COTS/GOTS alternatives, and requirements allocation. Coordinate software-system installation and monitor equipment functioning to ensure operational specifications are…