Lead Hardware Systems Engineer

Leidos; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Gaithersburg, MD is seeking a Hardware Systems Engineer to contribute to FAA ERAM efforts. You will work on hardware design, integration, and lifecycle management in a cross-disciplinary team.

The role involves planning, documenting, and coordinating hardware activities across engineering domains, with a focus on reliability and risk mitigation within mission-critical NAS systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 4–8 years of relevant experience, or Master's with 2–6 years.
• Experience executing hardware engineering projects and processes.
• Experience developing hardware designs and documentation (wiring diagrams, CAD, BOMs).
• Experience with ECNs/ECRs and hardware baseline changes.
• Experience hardware integration, verification, testing, and deployment.

Responsibilities

• Independently plan and execute hardware projects with significant impact.
• Develop and maintain hardware designs and documentation.
• Support hardware lifecycle from design to fielding and installation.
• Coordinate with engineering and other orgs to resolve issues.
• Develop estimates, schedules, and ETCs for hardware activities.
• Provide guidance and training to staff.
• Identify design/process improvements.

Skills

Hardware engineering

System integration

Technical communication

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline

Master's degree

Tools

AutoCAD

SolidWorks

Inventor

Visio

Job description

The Air Traffic Management Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Hardware Systems Engineer to work in our Gaithersburg, MD office. This is an exciting opportunity to be a member of a dynamic team working on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) En-Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) technology, which is the heart of the national air transportation system. ERAM provides the foundational platform for the National Airspace System (NAS) to monitor and manage high-altitude aircraft, increasing flight efficiency, safety, and capacity.

Primary Responsibilities

• Independently plan and execute hardware engineering projects and processes with significant impact on project deliverables.
• Develop solutions to complex hardware problems requiring deep technical analysis of system requirements, interfaces, cost, schedule, risk, supportability, and impacts to the overall system.
• Develop and maintain hardware designs and documentation, including electrical wiring diagrams, cable schematics, interconnect diagrams, cable lists, CAD drawings, Bills of Material (BOMs), Parts Lists, Cable Marking Specifications, and installation instructions.
• Perform technical analyses and trade studies to evaluate hardware solutions and support product selection.
• Support the hardware lifecycle, including design, fabrication, integration, verification, installation, testing, troubleshooting, modification, and fielding.
• Coordinate with Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Site Activation, Procurement, Manufacturing, Integration and Test, Adaptation, and other organizations to resolve technical and interface issues.
• Support formal engineering change and configuration management processes, including Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), technical impact assessments, and hardware baseline updates.
• Independently resolve hardware issues identified during integration, testing, and field installation and ensure approved changes are incorporated into the hardware design baseline.
• Participate in design reviews and influence internal and client project teams regarding hardware solution design, processes, and implementation approaches.
• Develop level-of-effort estimates, schedules, resource requirements, and Estimates to Complete (ETCs) for assigned hardware activities.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and training to less-experienced engineering and technical staff.
• Identify hardware design and process improvements that improve quality, efficiency, supportability, and maintainability.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline with 4-8 years of prior relevant experience, or Master's degree with 2-6 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience independently executing hardware engineering projects, products, or processes within a technical area.
• Experience developing solutions to complex hardware engineering problems requiring technical analysis and consideration of impacts to the overall system.
• Experience developing hardware designs and documentation such as electrical wiring diagrams, cable schematics, interconnect diagrams, cable lists, CAD drawings, Bills of Material (BOMs), and Parts Lists.
• Experience supporting formal engineering change processes, including ECNs, ECRs, configuration management, or controlled hardware baseline changes.
• Experience with system-level hardware integration, verification, installation, testing, troubleshooting, technical problem resolution, and deployment.
• Experience working across engineering disciplines to evaluate interfaces and resolve system-level integration issues.
• Experience communicating technical analyses and recommendations to internal and client project teams and influencing technical decisions.
• Experience providing technical guidance, coaching, or training to less-experienced engineering or technical staff.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Visio.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Inventor, Visio, or other CAD software tools.
• Experience performing hardware trade studies and product selection based on technical, cost, risk, supportability, and implementation considerations.
• Experience developing engineering schedules, level-of-effort estimates, resource requirements, or Estimates to Complete (ETCs).
• Experience working on large-scale, safety-critical, mission-critical, or highly integrated systems.
• Experience working in FAA facilities, including CONUS Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC), or the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy (FAAAC).
• Experience with ERAM or other National Airspace System (NAS) systems.
• Experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) technologies.

Additional Requirements

• Candidates must have the ability to obtain a Public Trust clearance.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand 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.