Lead Software Engineer – AI-Enabled Defense Systems

Koitecc Solutions; Huntsville, Northern (AL, KY); Hybrid; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Huntsville, AL seeks a Lead Software Engineer to guide the IFPC program, delivering production C++/Python software in Linux.

You will act as technical lead, coach engineers, and drive SAFe practices, CI/CD, and AI-assisted development while navigating security constraints. Qualified individuals will have 12+ years of software experience, and a U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain a Secret clearance. Relocation to Huntsville may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required with 12+ years of software development experience (or Master’s + 10; PhD + 7).
• Hands-on experience with agentic AI coding assistants and AI-assisted development workflows.
• Proven ability to coach and mentor engineers and lead a software team as a technical lead.
• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python; full lifecycle software development; Agile/SAFe experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead and design authority for the IFPC Agentic AI software team; mentor engineers and drive quality and delivery.
• Champion agentic AI-assisted software development: workflows, prompts, tooling, guardrails to boost throughput and code quality.
• Coach engineers in AI-assisted practices; run pairing, enablement sessions, reviews, and reusable playbooks.
• Adapt AI practices to secure environments; evaluate, pilot, and approve AI tooling through security reviews.
• Develop production software in C++ and Python on Linux for counter-UAS and missile defense systems.
• Apply SAFe with Jira and GitLab; perform peer reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD; ensure responsible AI integration.
• Debug in HWIL/SWIL environments; establish engineering standards and reusable solutions.
• Collaborate with systems, electrical, test, and cybersecurity teams; align software delivery with program needs.

Skills

C++

Python

Linux

Agentic AI tooling

SAFe / Agile

Jira / GitLab

Mentoring / leadership

Security clearance (secret)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field

Tools

Jira

GitLab

Linux

Job description

Leidos in Huntsville, AL seeks a Lead Software Engineer to guide the IFPC program, delivering production C++/Python software in Linux.

You will act as technical lead, coach engineers, and drive SAFe practices, CI/CD, and AI-assisted development while navigating security constraints. Qualified individuals will have 12+ years of software experience, and a U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain a Secret clearance. Relocation to Huntsville may be required.