Senior Systems Engineer

Leidos; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Bethesda, MD seeks a TS/SCI-cleared Senior Systems Engineer to lead agile teams in design, development, and deployment of software for the DIA-NMEC DOMEX platform. You will translate high-priority requirements into deliverable solutions, manage backlogs, and collaborate with government leads.

On-site with flexible schedule, some tasks may be done remotely. You will mentor junior engineers, drive scalability and reliability, and coordinate with cross-functional teams to meet program

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field with 12–15 years of relevant experience (or Masters with 10–13 years)
• Active TS/SCI clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI with Polygraph
• Experience Java or Python development
• Experience as Systems Engineer/Product Owner in Agile software teams
• Experience with requirements/design docs and process diagrams
• Strong ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps
• Ability to manage and prioritize product backlogs
• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies; experience with GitLab, Jira, Confluence
• Experience facilitating Scrum ceremonies (Planning, Retrospective, Grooming & Review/Demo)
• Excellent verbal and written communication; cross-functional collaboration skills
• Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers
• Security best practices for services; authN/Z, secrets management

Responsibilities

• Lead an application team responsible for delivering new software enhancements and deployments
• Decompose high-priority requirements from the product roadmap into deliverable solutions
• Plan, design, implement software development solutions; oversee integration and testing
• Develop and manage backlog using SAFe and Scrum processes; prioritize stories and epics
• Coordinate with Test Team for automated system integration tests
• Lead design and architecture of backend systems and services
• Drive scalability, reliability, and performance initiatives
• Mentor mid-level and junior engineers on best practices
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and government stakeholders
• Ensure delivery of high-quality software through defined acceptance criteria

Skills

Java

Python

Agile

Backlog management

Education

BS in Engineering/CS/SE

Masters (optional)

Tools

GitLab

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Description

Leidos has an exciting opening for you, as our next TS/SCI cleared Senior Systems Engineer, to play a critical role with design, engineering, development and deployment of software supporting the DIA-NMEC (National Media Exploitation Center) DOMEX Technology Platform (DTP). Under this 10-year contract containing multiple Task Orders, we support the DOMEX Data Discovery Platform (D3P) Modernization program as well as DIA-OSIC’s mission to centralize and standardize Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination (TCPED) of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) across the DoD and IC enterprise. This position provides an opportunity to have impact as part of a mission focused, solutions oriented, and adaptive team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional development. The selected individual will work closely with the Lead Systems Engineer, Release Train Engineer, and government leads to decompose high priority requirements from the product roadmap into valuable delivered solutions, executing on requirements analysis, design, system integration, and system testing.

As a Senior Systems Engineer you will lead an application team responsible for maintaining the continuous flow of new software enhancements and deployments, while you manage risks, elevate impediments, and help to drive continuous process improvement. While most work is conducted on-site at our client location in Bethesda, MD, we offer a flexible schedule and, occasionally, some tasks may be performed remotely.

You will work closely with the team on the following key tasks:

• Manage, direct, coordinate, and provide technical direction for all aspects of the team’s development efforts.
• Plan, design, and oversee implementation of software development solutions. Provide technical support, coordination, and execution of systems engineering activities such as feature/requirements analysis, design, implementation planning, integration and test, sustainment, documentation, deployment, and system assessment.
• Ensure sound engineering practices are followed.
• Provide direction for interpretation and application of policies and procedures to the engineering and development activities.
• Develop a working knowledge of government business processes and provide recommendations accordingly.
• Collaborate with other development teams to identify and develop high-value integrations with other systems/applications.
• Develop, manage and continually improve the backlog of work items for an Agile scrum team. Update and prioritize stories and epics via feedback from various program stakeholders ensuring the team is always working on the highest-value tasks.
• Support Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) program increment planning and execution through creation of work tickets in GitLab as well as program/system documentation using collaboration software (e.g., GitLab wiki). Lead/participate in all Agile ceremonies to include daily stand up, planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Stay informed of increment and sprint progress and work with the team to identify and remove impediments and dependencies.
• Perform backlog refinement on a regular basis. This may include decomposing features into workable stories, prioritizing or reprioritizing items in the backlog for upcoming sprints, refining acceptance criteria and complexity estimates or removing tickets that are no longer relevant.
• Accept or reject completed work based on defined acceptance criteria to ensure delivery of high-quality software.
• Lead the design and architecture of backend systems and services.
• Drive initiatives across the engineering team related to scalability, reliability, and performance.
• Develop requirements and design documents
• Contribute to and review RFCs, and requirements, design, and architecture reviews
• Coordinate with Test Team to develop and monitor automated system integration tests to identify failed modules and components
• Manage individual project priorities, deliverables, and deadlines
• Provides specific input to the software components of system design to include hardware/software trade-offs, software reuse, use of COTS/GOTS in place of new development, and requirements analysis and synthesis from system level to individual software components
• Foster an environment of collaboration with the different team members in the goal of providing quality service and product to our customers
• Act as a mentor to mid-level and junior engineers, offering guidance on best practices and career growth

To be successful in this role you need the following (required qualifications):

• BS in Engineering, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field and 12 – 15 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 10 – 13 years of prior relevant experience. Additional years of experience in lieu of degree are acceptable
• Must have an active Top Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI with Polygraph.
• Software development experience in languages such as Java or Python.
• Experience as a Systems Enginer, Product Owner, or a similar role in an Agile software development team.
• Experience with requirements and design documentation, including process flow diagrams.
• Demonstrated ability to break down complex problems into actionable steps.
• Experience managing and prioritizing product backlogs effectively.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies, and experience with tools like Gitlab, Jira, and Confluence.
• Experience with facilitating scrum for the team (Planning, Retrospective, Grooming & Review/Demo).
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) to articulate technical and non-technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with engineering, design, and project management teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage expectations and maintain strong relationships with government and contractor stakeholders.

You will wow us even more if you have some of these skills:

• Experience with Kafka or other message passing systems
• Experience on a production/enterprise system
• Cloud infrastructure experience
• Experience with Appian or other low-code software technologies
• Experience with any of the following technologies:
  • PostgreSQL
  • Containerization, especially with Docker
  • DevOps practices and tools including Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools and practices, especially Gitlab or Jenkins
  • GraphQL
  • Keycloak
• Proactive in identifying tech debt, systemic issues, and areas for team/process improvement
• Expertise building and maintaining microservices in production in Kubernetes
• Understanding of Elasticsearch internals: sharding, performance tuning, analyzers, query DSL
• Elasticsearch certifications or other program stack related certifications
• Strong Kafka experience: event design, stream processing, performance tuning
• Familiarity with schema registries and Kafka streaming patterns
• Familiarity with authentication and authorization products such as Keycloak
• Experience with security best practices for services: authN/Z, secrets management, data protection
• GraphQL familiarity
• Hardware on-prem and cloud-based deployments using Kubernetes
• Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code (ie CloudFormation, Terraform, Pulumi)
• Experience of a production/enterprise systems at scale
• Knowledge of distributed systems concepts (e.g., idempotency, eventual consistency)
• Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers
• Strong testing discipline with a focus on automation, coverage, and CI/CD pipelines
• Hands-on development and/or scripting experience, especially Java and Python
• Experience with AWS cloud-based architecture, services, and software development

#NMECDTP-Leidos

#ASBA

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

October 13, 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 onlyand 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.