Senior Lead Security Engineer

Leidos; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Senior Lead Security Engineer to serve as the team's technical authority, guiding security architecture and implementation across data, apps, and cloud environments. You will mentor engineers, define secure design standards, and oversee security programs to ensure scalable, compliant solutions.

The role emphasizes hands-on management of Qualys and Wraithwatch, integration with SIEM/SOAR, and powerful vulnerability management across AWS and on-premise resources.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM or related field.
• Minimum of 8–12 years of cybersecurity experience depending on degree.
• Active certifications listed in the qualifications.
• Ability to obtain EOD Public Trust.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority for the engineering team, setting standards and mentoring junior engineers.
• Lead complex security projects with multiple assignments and shifting priorities.
• Define system security requirements to meet FISMA and FedRAMP standards.
• Develop, implement, and enforce security policies across data, apps, and cloud infra.
• Oversee deployment and maintenance of Qualys and Wraithwatch, integrating with SIEM/SOAR via Python/PowerShell.

Skills

CISSP

CCSP

CCNP

CCIE Security

CEH

RHCSA

RHCA

RHCE

MCSE

CompTIA Security+

AWS Solutions Architect Expert

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM or related field

Master's degree

Tools

Qualys

Wraithwatch

Python

PowerShell

OpenShift (AWS)

Job description

Senior Lead Security Engineer

Leidos is seeking a Senior Lead Security Engineer to support a high-visibility, strategic cybersecurity task order. This individual will serve as the team's technical lead, designing, integrating, and maintaining the security tools and architecture that keep enterprise systems and networks secure, functional, and scalable. The ideal candidate is a self-starter with strong analytical judgment who can manage multiple priorities with minimal oversight.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority for the engineering team, setting technical standards and best practices and mentoring junior engineers.
• Lead complex technical and compliance-focused security projects independently while managing multiple assignments and shifting priorities.
• Define system security and design requirements to meet FISMA and FedRAMP compliance standards.
• Develop, implement, and enforce security policies and processes for data, applications, and cloud infrastructure.
• Oversee deployment and maintenance of Qualys and Wraithwatch agents and connectors to ensure full coverage, and integrate both platforms with SIEM/SOAR and other security tools using Python and PowerShell.
• Optimize vulnerability management and AI solutions, including data refinement, automated workflows and playbooks, and integration with enterprise and SIEM platforms.
• Configure cloud-hosted SaaS security solutions to manage policies, control reporting data, and respond to incidents.
• Manage AWS network security resources, including AWS Network Firewall, Network ACLs, and security groups.
• Install, upgrade, maintain, and tune Windows and Linux servers in a virtual infrastructure, and resolve Linux system errors, crashes, and disk and file system issues.
• Collaborate with engineers, application owners, technical leads, and clients across DHS to resolve network-, system-, and application-level issues and assess the impact of change requests.
• Produce technical documentation, Visio diagrams, root cause analyses, and briefings to support engineering assessments and process improvement.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM or related field with 10–12 years of relevant cybersecurity experience, or a Master's degree with 8–10 years.
• At least one of the following certifications: CISSP, CCSP, CCNP, CCIE Security, CEH, RHCSA, RHCA, RHCE, MCSE, CompTIA Security+, or AWS Solutions Architect Expert.
• Ability to obtain an Entry on Duty (EOD) Public Trust.
• Extensive hands‑on experience with the Qualys and Wraithwatch platforms.
• Experience installing, configuring, securing, and troubleshooting Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (or similar distributions).
• Proven experience deploying and supporting Red Hat OpenShift clusters on AWS.
• Working knowledge of cloud architecture, provisioning, and monitoring, and of building and using CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience reviewing vulnerability and compliance scans, recommending remediation, and managing POA&M.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience automating management tasks with Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.
• Experience with Wiz, Sepio, and Nucleus.
• Experience with Wraithwatch is a plus.

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 and Pay Range

Original Posting: October 21, 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 $131,300.00 - $237,350.00 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 $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.