Senior Software Engineer - 9 months

Leidos LLC; North Canberra; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness programs

Income protection

Paid leave

Retirement

Job summary

Leidos Australia in Canberra is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our Defence ICT team on a 9‑month maximum‑term contract, with potential extension. You will provide technical leadership across the design, development and integration of software within a complex Defence ICT delivery program.

Work closely with architects, system integrators and project teams to ensure software solutions are aligned to architecture, meet integration requirements and are production-ready.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in software engineering within complex ICT environments (Defence or government highly regarded)
• Strong programming expertise (e.g. Java, Python, C++ or similar)
• Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring engineering teams
• Experience working across full software lifecycle (design, build, integration, test and deployment)
• Strong understanding of system integration and verification processes
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues
• Strong stakeholder communication and collaboration skills

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and integration of software components aligned to system requirements and architectural design
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior software engineers
• Ensure software implementation aligns with architecture, integration requirements and delivery standards
• Oversee development of key capabilities including data processing, synchronisation and core services
• Support system integration across software, infrastructure and networking components
• Lead verification, validation and testing activities, ensuring delivery meets acceptance criteria
• Drive fault analysis and remediation to achieve system readiness and performance standards
• Contribute to technical documentation and support transition and handover to operations
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated system outcomes

Skills

Java / Python / C++

Software architecture

Mentoring

SDLC

System integration

Troubleshooting

Stakeholder comms

Tools

DevSecOps

CI/CD

Containerization

Job description

About Leidos Australia

At Leidos Australia, our work goes beyond a job title. We design, build, operate and support the systems, services and capabilities that help protect and advance the Australian way of life. Backed by a global organisation of more than 40,000 people, our Australian team of around 2,000 has partnered with government, defence and national security customers for more than 30 years. We deliver mission‑critical solutions where reliability, trust and purpose matter. Leidos is a destination for people who want their work to have purpose, their contribution to be recognised, and their career to grow without needing to fit a single mould. Meaningful work is supported by benefits, flexibility and career pathways that help you grow while balancing life outside work. This includes: Flex Your Way – Tailor work to your life with options including Life Days (up to 12 extra days off per year), part‑time arrangements, job sharing, and compressed hours. Wellbeing That Matters – Free access to Headspace and MeQuilibrium, plus dedicated wellness spaces to support your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Learn Without Limits – Access over 120,000 on‑demand courses, alongside technical, project management, leadership, and professional development opportunities. Work That Makes an Impact – Contribute to nationally significant projects that matter, solve complex challenges, and accelerate your career through unique growth opportunities. Build Your Future – Whether you're deepening technical expertise or preparing for leadership, we'll invest in your development every step of the way. And Much More – These are just a few of the ways we invest in our people and help them thrive.

About the Team

Our GEOSPACES team is instrumental in developing and maintaining innovative technologies that tackle evolving challenges within the intelligence community. Additionally, these roles will focus on designing, integrating, and validating complex tenant environments tailored to specific use cases, supporting critical customer objectives.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our Defence ICT team on a 9‑month maximum‑term contract, with the potential for extension. In this role, you will provide technical leadership across the design, development and integration of software within a complex Defence ICT delivery program. You will work closely with architects, system integrators and project teams to ensure software solutions are aligned to architecture, meet integration requirements and are delivered to production‑ready standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and integration of software components aligned to system requirements and architectural design
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior software engineers
• Ensure software implementation aligns with architecture, integration requirements and delivery standards
• Oversee development of key capabilities including data processing, synchronisation and core services
• Support system integration across software, infrastructure and networking components
• Lead verification, validation and testing activities, ensuring delivery meets acceptance criteria
• Drive fault analysis and remediation to achieve system readiness and performance standards
• Contribute to technical documentation and support transition and handover to operations
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated system outcomes

About You

Essential for this role

• Proven experience in software engineering within complex ICT environments (Defence or government highly regarded)
• Strong programming expertise (e.g. Java, Python, C++ or similar)
• Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring engineering teams
• Experience working across full software lifecycle (design, build, integration, test and deployment)
• Strong understanding of system integration and verification processes
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues
• Strong stakeholder communication and collaboration skills

Advantageous, but not essential

• Experience within Defence or national security environments
• Exposure to geospatial, data processing or distributed systems
• Experience working in secure or highly governed environments
• Familiarity with DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines or containerised technologies

This role requires the successful applicant to be an Australian citizen and hold, or be eligible to obtain NV2 security clearance and be successful for DISA.

Pay Range

Pay Range: 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

Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement.

Securing Your Data

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 Leidos.com 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 [e-mail].

Commitment and Diversity

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.