Chief Systems Engineer & Technical Lead (SME)

Leidos; Alexandria (VA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Health and Wellness programs

Income Protection

Paid Leave and Retirement

Job summary

Leidos seeks an experienced Systems Engineer SME to provide technical leadership for the Chinook Program, shaping architecture and modernization strategies for a mission-critical application. You will guide cross-functional teams, mentor engineers, and ensure high availability, security, and performance.

You will interact with end users, government managers, and contractors to improve software, test reliability, and system documentation.

Qualifications

• US citizenship is required per contract.
• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 12-15 years of prior relevant experience or Master’s with 10-13 years of prior relevant experience.
• 12+ years of progressive systems engineering experience supporting software-intensive systems or enterprise systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical teams and influencing engineering strategy.
• Deep knowledge of systems architecture, integration, lifecycle engineering, and systems thinking.
• Experience leading engineering efforts within Agile and DevSecOps environments.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, collaboration, and technical mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead and systems engineering authority for the customer application.
• Define system architecture, engineering standards, technical roadmaps, and modernization strategies.
• Manage and maintain cloud-based application systems to ensure high availability, reliability, and performance.
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues and develop effective solutions to support system functionality and operational needs.
• Evaluate opportunities in the use of AI tools and how they can be applied to troubleshooting and system monitoring.
• Lead requirements analysis, system design, integration, verification, and validation activities.
• Guide technical decision making across cross-functional engineering teams.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovative solutions to improve system capabilities.
• Lead technical risk identification, mitigation planning, and engineering trade studies.
• Mentor systems engineers and promote engineering best practices across the program.
• Partner with program leadership and stakeholders to align technical solutions with mission objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance system performance, scalability, security, and maintainability.

Skills

Systems engineering leadership

Technical mentoring

Agile and DevSecOps

Cloud-based systems

Problem solving

Communication & collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, CS, or related field

Master’s with 10-13 years of experience

Doctorate in technical domain (optional)

Tools

Python

C++

Linux

Job description

Leidos seeks an experienced Systems Engineer SME to provide technical leadership for the Chinook Program, shaping architecture and modernization strategies for a mission-critical application. You will guide cross-functional teams, mentor engineers, and ensure high availability, security, and performance.

You will interact with end users, government managers, and contractors to improve software, test reliability, and system documentation.