Senior AI Engineer (SWE-3)

Leidos LLC; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

11 paid holidays

401(k) with company match

Flexible schedules

Job summary

Leidos seeks a motivated Senior AI Engineer for the Intel Sector to lead AI/ML tooling, LLM integration, and data engineering efforts across mission-focused projects. You will capture requirements, aid in structured planning, and help improve certification processes with AI tooling.

Responsibilities include designing LLM orchestration, ingesting and vectorizing data, and ensuring secure deployment within enclaves. A TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance is required for the role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus eight years of relevant experience or equivalent.
• Proficiency in Python, LLM integration, and data engineering.
• Experience with static analyzers, RAG framework, and relational and vector databases.
• Familiarization with Agile, Git, Jira, and Confluence.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain LLM orchestration frameworks coordinating static analyzers, RAG systems, and automated testing pipelines.
• Architect and deploy networked AI tools within secure enclaves; perform performance profiling and scalability analysis.
• Support security assessments and authority to operate (ATO) processes.

Skills

Python

LLM integration

Data engineering

Static analyzers

RAG framework

Relational databases

Vector databases

Agile

Git

Jira

Confluence

CI/CD

Rust

Claude Code

Codex

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Git

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Senior AI Engineer in our Intel Sector. 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. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

Job Summary:

Our program provides our customer's Operations organization with the best possible solutions for their mission needs. We achieve this through rapid prototyping, new development, and advanced technology research. From leading-edge visualizations to analytic development, we're always pushing the boundaries to find new and better data sources and tradecraft to answer intelligence questions. With a focus on collaboration and a fast-paced environment, our prototype development program is the ideal place to grow your skills and make a real impact.

Seeking a motivated Senior AI Engineer with a proven track record in software engineering and deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques to support the exciting new AI and Emerging Technologies (AI&ET) mission. The engineer will work closely with mission stakeholders to capture requirements, aid in structured planning, and improve the certification process by introducing AI/ML tooling. Additionally, the engineer will use AI/ML to develop tools and techniques to include fine tuning Large Language Models (LLM) that assist in enhanced vulnerability identification and mitigation capabilities.

Job Responsibilities/Qualifications:

• Mission Focus: Collaborate closely with technical leadership to design, develop, and maintain LLM orchestration frameworks that coordinate static analyzers, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, and automated testing pipelines. Develop and optimize data preprocessing pipelines to ingest, clean, transform, and vectorize product documentation, source code, and test results for LLM consumption. Design and implement database solutions to support RAG architectures, artifact storage, audit trails, and metadata management.
• Technical Proficiency: Collaboratively work with systems engineers to architect and deploy networked AI tools within secure enclaves and conduct performance profiling, optimization, and scalability analysis of mission systems. Support security assessments and authority to operate (ATO) processes.
• Qualifications: Bachelor's degree plus eight (8) years of relevant experience or equivalent. Proficiency in Python, LLM integration, and data engineering. Experience with static analyzers, RAG framework, and relational and vector databases. Familiarization with Agile, Git, Jira, and Confluence.
• Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with Polygraph required.
• Desirable Skills: Familiarization with RUST, Claude Code, Codex, and CI/CD.

At Leidos, the opportunities are boundless. We challenge our staff with interesting assignments that allow them to thrive professionally and personally. For us, helping you grow your career is good business.

CONMD 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.

Original Posting: March 11, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00 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.

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 $17.2 billion for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2026. 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 here.

Securing Your Data Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information at any part of the employment application process. And Leidos will communicate with you only through emails that are sent from a Leidos.com email address. If you receive an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information, please report the email to [e-mail].

Commitment and Diversity

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.