Lead Software Engineer - AI-Assisted Development

Leidos; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive AI-assisted software development for counter-UAS and missile defense systems. You will lead a team, set technical direction, and mentor engineers in a secure, Linux-based SAFe environment.

The role requires hands-on experience in C++ and Python, plus proficiency with Jira and GitLab. A strong background in modern AI tooling and secure development is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 12+ years of professional software development experience (or 10+ with a Master’s or 7+ with a PhD).
• Hands-on experience with agentic AI coding assistants and AI-assisted development workflows.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead and design authority for the IFPC Agentic AI software team.
• Champion agentic AI-assisted software development across the team with workflows and tooling.
• Coach engineers in the responsible use of AI coding assistants through pairing and reviews.
• Adapt AI practices to secure, restricted, or air-gapped environments.
• Develop production software in C++ and Python in Linux for counter-UAS and missile defense.
• Work in a SAFe environment using Jira and GitLab; enforce CI/CD and code quality.

Skills

C++

Python

Technical leadership

AI-assisted dev

Mentorship

CI/CD

Linux

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE/CE/EE

Tools

Jira

GitLab

Linux

Job description

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers' success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

Leidos Defense provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Our team is solving the world's toughest security challenges for customers with "can't fail" missions.

Within the Defense Sector, Leidos currently has a special opening for a talented Lead Software Engineer to work onsite in our Huntsville, AL office in support of the IFPC program, developing software for critical counter-UAS and missile defense solutions. This position focuses on the complete software lifecycle of complex defense systems in a Linux environment using languages such as C++ and Python, developed within a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environment.

This is a special, high-impact leadership role. Beyond delivering mission software, you will serve as the team's technical lead and the driving force for AI-assisted software engineering - bringing modern, agentic AI coding practices to the program and coaching the team so that every engineer becomes measurably more productive. The ideal candidate has built real production software with current-generation agentic AI coding assistants and can adapt those practices to a secure environment where the newest commercial tooling is often restricted. You will start as the technical lead for the software team, with a defined growth path into a people-management role as the team scales.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead and design authority for the IFPC Agentic AI software development improvement software team, setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and driving quality and delivery, with a defined growth path into a people-management role as the team scales.
• Champion and operationalize agentic AI-assisted software development across the team: establish the workflows, agent/prompt patterns, custom tooling, and guardrails that measurably multiply the team's throughput and code quality.
• Coach and upskill engineers in the effective, responsible use of AI coding assistants through hands-on pairing, enablement sessions, code reviews, and reusable playbooks, acting as a force multiplier for the entire team.
• Adapt commercial agentic-AI coding practices to a secure, restricted, or air-gapped environment; evaluate, pilot, and shepherd AI tooling through the security-approval process, including on-prem / self-hosted model options.
• Develop production software in C++ and Python in a Linux environment for counter-UAS and missile defense systems.
• Develop within a SAFe environment using Jira and GitLab; apply software best practices such as peer reviews, unit testing, and CI/CD automation - integrating AI responsibly into the software development lifecycle.
• Debug and troubleshoot software in a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) and Software-in-the-loop (SWIL) setting.
• Establish and enforce engineering and coding standards, and drive standardized, reusable, well-documented solutions.
• Collaborate across systems, electrical, test, and cybersecurity teams, and interface with program leadership and the customer to align software delivery with program needs.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 12+ years of professional software development experience (or Master's degree + 10 years / PhD + 7 years).
• Recent, substantial, hands-on experience building real software with current-generation agentic AI coding assistants and AI-assisted development workflows, not just experimentation.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor engineers and to lead a software team as a technical lead.
• Strong, current proficiency in C++ and Python.
• Experience across the full software lifecycle, including peer reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD.
• Experience working within an Agile / SAFe environment (or equivalent).
• Experience with tools such as Jira and GitLab (or equivalent).
• Experience developing in a Linux environment.
• Ability to adapt modern AI-assisted development workflows to security-constrained, restricted, or disconnected environments (or a clear, demonstrated capacity to do so).
• Currently living in Huntsville, AL or willing to relocate.
• U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance (interim and final).

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep, hands-on expertise with specific agentic AI coding tools - e.g., Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot / Copilot Workspace, Windsurf, Aider - and with Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based agent and tool workflows.
• Experience building AI enab