Software Engineer

Leidos LLC; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 94,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Health and Wellness programs

Income protection

Paid leave and retirement

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a backend software engineer to collaborate with scientists and engineers on advancing radar, optical, and infrared sensor algorithms. You will build scalable backend systems for scientific computing in distributed environments and optimize code for GPU acceleration.

Proficiency in C/C++ and Linux/Unix is required, with experience in HPC, MPI, and AI/ML concepts. A TS clearance is preferred, and the role offers heavy emphasis on rigorous software engineering and documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 4+ years backend experience or Master’s with 2+ years.
• Equivalent experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain Top Secret clearance; active Top Secret preferred.
• Strong expertise in C/C++ backend development for large-scale apps.
• Experience with HPC, parallel/distributed processing (MPI).
• Hands-on GPU/CUDA programming and optimization.
• Familiarity with AI/ML and LLM concepts.
• Strong math/physics background; translate theory to software.
• Proficiency in Linux/Unix environments and scientific programming.
• Solid software engineering principles and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize algorithms for radar/optical/IR sensor systems.
• Build scalable backend systems for scientific computing in distributed environments.
• Refactor and improve scientific codebases for efficiency and scalability.
• Translate existing code for GPU/CUDA acceleration and parallel execution.
• Test, document, maintain, and enhance software in Linux/Unix environments.
• Collaborate in a team valuing technical excellence and growth.

Skills

C/C++ backend development

High-performance computing

GPU/CUDA programming

Parallel/distributed processing

Linux/Unix development

Software engineering principles

AI/ML & LLM concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Math/Physics or related

Master’s degree with 2+ years experience

Tools

MPI

Git/GitLab

MATLAB

Fortran

Job description

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to design, develop, and optimize advanced algorithms for next-generation radar, optical, and infrared sensor systems.
• Build scalable, high-performance backend systems for scientific computing in distributed environments.
• Integrate, refactor, and improve scientific codebases to increase efficiency and scalability.
• Translate and optimize existing code for GPU/CUDA acceleration and parallel or distributed execution.
• Test, document, maintain, and enhance complex software in Linux/Unix environments.
• Contribute in a collaborative environment that values technical excellence, creativity, and continuous growth.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related field with 4+ years of backend software development experience, or a Master’s degree with 2+ years of experience.
• Equivalent experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance; active Top Secret clearance preferred.
• Strong expertise in C/C++ backend software development, including large-scale, performance-critical applications.
• Experience with high-performance computing, parallel and distributed processing, and technologies such as MPI.
• Hands-on experience with GPU/CUDA programming and optimization.
• Familiarity with AI/ML and LLM concepts and algorithms.
• Strong foundation in advanced mathematics or physics, with the ability to translate theory into practical software solutions.
• Proficiency in Linux/Unix development environments.
• Experience with scientific programming, algorithm development, and system-level problem-solving.
• Solid understanding of software engineering principles and best practices.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including software documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance.
• Familiarity with Agile development, object-oriented design, and modern software architecture.
• Experience with Git, GitLab, MATLAB, and Fortran.
• Knowledge of multithreaded or shared-memory application development.

Original Posting

Original Posting: September 23, 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 $87,100.00 - $157,450.00 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.

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.

• 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.

SUBSEAMSS 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.

Leidos Overview

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.