Senior Software Systems Lead

MANTECH; California (MD); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

MANTECH is seeking a career-focused Senior Software Systems Lead in Lexington Park, MD. This hybrid position involves architecting scalable simulation platforms for the Department of Defense, ensuring alignment between mission needs and technical deliverables.

The candidate will lead digital transformation initiatives and mentor teams, driving high-performance engineering solutions. A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and expertise in C++ are essential, along with a Top Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in software engineering.
• Expertise in both on premise and cloud-based development environments.
• Expert-level proficiency in C++ with high-performance simulation design.

Responsibilities

• Act as principal technical liaison between engineering teams and government stakeholders.
• Lead the transition from legacy frameworks to cloud-native simulation platforms.
• Develop comprehensive simulation capabilities utilizing C++ and modern frameworks.

Skills

C++

Cloud-based development

Agile methodologies

Digital transformation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Bitbucket

Microsoft Visual Studio

Job description

MANTECH seeks a career and customer oriented Senior Software Systems Lead in Lexington Park, MD. This is a hybrid position with 4 days onsite and 1 day remote.

This person will serve as the primary technical authority for a high-priority Department of Defense Modeling & Simulation (M&S) initiative. In this key personnel role, you will architect and guide innovative, scalable simulation platforms while acting as a Trusted Technology Advisor to government stakeholders. This is an opportunity to shape the future of battlespace simulation through high-impact leadership, digital transformation, and advanced software systems design.

Responsibilities May Include But Are Not Limited To

• Act as the principal technical liaison between engineering teams and government stakeholders, advising on software strategy, procurement (GOTS/COTS), and performance to align mission needs with technical deliverables
• Direct top-level software architectures for real-time simulation and complex behavior modeling, providing infrastructure recommendations to maximize scalability and reduce lifecycle costs
• Lead the transition from legacy frameworks to cloud-native, DevSecOps-enabled simulation platforms, ensuring alignment with contemporary digital engineering standards
• Oversee the integration of distributed simulation protocols (DIS, HLA, TENA) into the GRID-based Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) to facilitate seamless cross-domain interoperability
• Develop comprehensive simulation capabilities, including models, hardware interfaces, and user interfaces, utilizing C++ and modern development frameworks
• Mentor multi-disciplinary development teams while enforcing high standards for code quality, configuration management, and streamlined knowledge transfer through better documentation
• Define comprehensive test plan strategies and lead root-cause analysis for critical, system-level software issues to ensure robust performance and reliability

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in software engineering, including direct support to M&S initiatives
• Expertise with both on premise and cloud-based development environments (Azure and AWS)
• Expert-level proficiency in C++, with demonstrated experience designing and implementing high-performance simulation systems
• Hands-on experience using a wide variety of commercially available development tools such as the Atlassian Tool Suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket), Git, and Microsoft Visual Studio
• Proven track record of leading digital transformation initiatives using Agile methodologies and CI/CD pipelines

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multi-level security environment development and deployment
• Experience utilizing cloud-based development environments and tools
• Direct experience supporting tactical aviation systems and distributed battlespace environments
• In-depth understanding of synthetic environment generation platforms such as NGTS, JSAF, or equivalent frameworks
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present complex engineering trade-offs to senior technical and non-technical audiences

Clearance Requirements

• Must possess an active Top Secret clearance with current SCI eligibility

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position approximately 50% of the time
• Occasionally required to move throughout office spaces to access equipment, files, or interact with co-workers
• Must be able to effectively communicate with team members, leadership, and customers, including in presentation settings, and convey accurate technical information