Senior Systems Engineer

Leidos

$131K — $237K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field; 12-15 years of experience for Bachelor's, 10-13 years for Master's
  • Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance; must be able to obtain and maintain TS/SCI with Polygraph
  • Strong software development skills in Java or Python
  • Proven experience as Systems Engineer or Product Owner in Agile
  • Hands-on data engineering, data model, and quality assurance experience
  • Expertise in requirements/documentation processes including process flow diagrams
  • Deep understanding of Agile methodologies and proficiency with GitLab, Jira, and Confluence

Responsibilities

  • Lead software development efforts within the team
  • Plan and oversee software development solutions, including requirements analysis and implementation
  • Collaborate with government data teams for data source integration
  • Lead data model changes, API integrations, and data quality efforts
  • Manage and prioritize the Agile backlog, facilitating Agile ceremonies
  • Mentor mid-level and junior engineers, promoting best practices
  • Ensure compliance with engineering practices and high-quality software delivery

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape technical direction and architecture
  • Collaborative and agile work environment
  • Mentorship and professional development opportunities
  • Support for continuous process improvement
  • Engagement with cross-functional teams in high-value integrations
Full Job Description
Senior Systems Engineer (Data Engineering) to join our high-impact team supporting the National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC) DOMEX Technology Platform (DTP). In this role, you will help modernize and centralize Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) operations across the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC). You'll work on a 10-year, multi-task order contract, directly supporting the DOMEX Data Discovery Platform (D3P) Modernization program and DIA-OSIC's mission.

As a key technical leader, you will collaborate with talented engineers, product owners, and government stakeholders to design, develop, and deploy innovative software solutions that make a real difference to national security. You'll have the opportunity to shape the architecture, drive technical direction, and mentor others, all while working in a collaborative, agile, and growth-oriented environment.

What You'll Do
  • Lead all aspects of the team's software development efforts.
  • Plan, design, and oversee the implementation of software development solutions through systems engineering activities such as feature/requirements analysis, design, implementation planning, integration and test, sustainment, documentation, deployment, and system assessment
  • Collaborate with government data team to integrate new data sources.
  • Lead engineering data model changes, API integrations, and data quality efforts.
  • Develop a working knowledge of government business processes and provide recommendations accordingly.
  • Decompose high-priority requirements from the product roadmap into actionable solutions, managing risks and driving continuous process improvement.
  • Own and manage the Agile backlog, prioritize work items, perform backlog refinement, and facilitate Agile ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, reviews, retrospectives).
  • Support SAFe program increment planning and execution, including work ticket creation and system documentation.
  • Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and professional development within the team.
  • Act as a mentor to mid-level and junior engineers, sharing best practices and supporting career growth.
  • Ensure sound engineering practices, compliance with policies, and delivery of high-quality software.
  • Coordinate with test teams to develop and monitor automated system integration tests.
  • Engage with cross-functional teams to identify and develop high-value integrations with other systems/applications.
  • Provide specific input to the software components of system design to include hardware/software trade-offs, software reuse, use of COTS/GOTS in place of new development, and requirements analysis and synthesis from system level to individual software components.


What You Bring (Required Qualifications)
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field and 12-15 years of relevant experience, or Master's with 10-13 years of experience.
  • Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI with Polygraph.
  • Strong software development experience in Java or Python.
  • Proven experience as a Systems Engineer, Product Owner, or similar role in an Agile software development team.
  • Hands-on experience with data engineering, data models, and data quality initiatives.
  • Experience with requirements and design documentation, including process flow diagrams.
  • Demonstrated ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps and manage/prioritize product backlogs.
  • Deep understanding of Agile methodologies and experience with tools such as GitLab, Jira, and Confluence.
  • Experience facilitating Agile ceremonies and supporting team delivery.
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical and non-technical concepts to diverse audiences.
  • Proven ability to work cross-functionally and manage stakeholder expectations.


Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have)
  • Experience with Kafka or other message-passing systems.
  • Cloud infrastructure experience (especially AWS).
  • Experience with Appian or other low-code platforms.
  • Familiarity with PostgreSQL, containerization (Docker), and DevOps/CI/CD tools (GitLab, Jenkins).
  • Experience with GraphQL, Keycloak, and security best practices (authN/Z, secrets management).
  • Experience building and maintaining microservices in Kubernetes.
  • Understanding of Elasticsearch internals, including sharding, performance tuning, analyzers, query DSL.
  • Experience with infrastructure-as-code (CloudFormation, Terraform, Pulumi).
  • Knowledge of distributed systems concepts (idempotency, eventual consistency).
  • Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers.
  • Strong testing discipline with a focus on automation and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Hands-on development and/or scripting experience in Java and Python.


Original Posting:
May 27, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

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.

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