Principal Software Engineer

Leidos; Maryland; On-site; USD 154,050 - 278,475; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

401K with 6% company match

Flexible Schedules

Education and Training Support

Job summary

A leading technology company is seeking a Principal Software Engineer in Maryland to design and enhance cloud-native applications. This critical role requires experience in orchestration and Kubernetes, along with a strong systems-level mindset. Candidates must have a Bachelor's in Computer Science and over 20 years of experience. The position includes mentoring junior engineers and contributing to technical standards, all within a high-impact environment focused on national security. Generous salary range of $154K-$278K offered.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of related experience.
• Deep experience with distributed application orchestration in cloud-native environments.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph required.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable workflows for deploying Kubernetes-native applications.
• Lead development of reusable Helm charts and deployment strategies.
• Mentor junior engineers and conduct code reviews.

Skills

Go or Python

Kubernetes

Event-driven systems

Infrastructure automation tools

System-level design

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or similar

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

Description

Join us and make a difference in National Security!

Program Summary

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Principal Software Engineer in our Intelligence Sector’s Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management. At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including Paid Time Off, 11 paid Holidays, 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting, Flexible Schedules, Discounted Stock Purchase Plans, Technical Upskilling, Education and Training Support, Parental Paid Leave, and much more. This is a large, multi‑year Leidos‑led prime contract supporting the development, integration, deployment, and sustainment of large collection systems. The work performed on this program is mission‑critical to the government and focused on solving complex technical challenges within emerging technologies. Team members operate with autonomy while contributing to a highly technical environment delivering impactful, mission‑relevant solutions.

Job Summary

Leidos is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to design, implement, and enhance distributed application orchestration in a cloud‑native environment. This role requires a senior engineer who contributes to architectural direction, leads development of scalable deployment solutions, and mentors team members while promoting best practices. The ideal candidate demonstrates ownership of system components, helps guide technical decisions and trade‑offs, contributes to shared tooling and standards, and applies a systems‑level mindset across the platform.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design scalable workflows for deploying and managing Kubernetes‑native applications
• Lead development of reusable Helm charts, GitOps templates, and deployment strategies
• Build system‑aware controllers or agents to automate application lifecycle tasks
• Contribute to platform‑wide architecture decisions, including deployment strategy, multi‑cluster configuration, and observability
• Mentor junior engineers and conduct code reviews to ensure reliability, clarity, and best practices
• Collaborate with DevOps and platform teams to support secure and compliant deployments
• Help shape internal standards, shared tooling, and technical direction through design guidance and trade‑off analysis

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or similar technical discipline with 20 or more years of related experience
• Deep experience with Go or Python in cloud‑native environments
• Strong Kubernetes experience, including CRDs, Helm, GitOps, and multi‑tenant application deployments
• Experience with event‑driven or agent‑based systems (e.g., Kafka, controller patterns)
• Familiarity with infrastructure automation tools such as Terraform, cloud‑init, or Ansible
• Experience working in complex environments balancing automation with operator oversight
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical efforts and contribute to system‑level design decisions
• Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI with polygraph required

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.

Pay Range

Pay Range $154,050.00 – $278,475.00. 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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That’s why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment‑related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system – never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment‑related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail]. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non‑Discrimination

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.