Software Engineering Branch Manager

Leidos LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos seeks a Software Engineering Branch Manager in Huntsville to lead a dynamic software team while continuing to contribute to project work. The role requires balancing leadership duties with hands-on software development, ensuring on-time, high-quality results.

Qualifications include a Bachelor's or higher degree and 8+ years of technical experience, plus 3+ years in leadership. A Secret Clearance is required, and the candidate must thrive in a fast-paced, ethics-driven culture at Leidos.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher degree in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, MIS, or related field.
• 8+ years of relevant technical experience.
• 3+ years leading teams and managing software development resources.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and team leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead by example; oversee branch management tasks and project responsibilities.
• Mentor junior staff; conduct yearly appraisals and career planning with employees.
• Coordinate with department management and contribute to business development opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Software engineering

Communication

Decision making

Mentoring

Prioritization

Industry experience

Ethics

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in a related technical field

Tools

Jira

Agile methodologies

Job description

The Software Engineering and Applications Department within the Huntsville Defense Sector Engineering Matrix currently has a special job opening for a talented Software Engineering Branch Manager. Branch Management would not be the full-time focus of the employee, so the ideal candidate will need to be able to multi-task both project and leadership responsibilities. The Manager must lead by example in ethics, attitude and discipline; he/she must keep management informed of critical issues and play a part in business development opportunities when requested.

Leidos is dedicated to making the world a safer place. This starts with helping our customers in the Defense Industry achieve their critical missions. Our dedicated Defense Group employees are solving critical challenges across the globe. At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions. Leidos is well known for our people-oriented culture, positive work environment, technical excellence, and resilient business ethics.

Primary Responsibilities

This Branch leadership position is dynamic, requiring assertiveness, strong technical competence, flexibility, prioritization abilities, personal drive and energy, and self-discipline.

Branch management responsibilities include, but are not limited to: approving timesheets, meeting with employees regularly, monitoring employees’ coverage, being knowledgeable of employees’ career goals, meeting with employees for yearly appraisals, mentoring junior employees, and working closely with Department management.

In addition to Branch manager responsibilities, the candidate will also need to handle project responsibilities since the Branch manager responsibilities are not a full-time role.

Basic Qualifications

A Bachelor's Degree or higher degree in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Computer Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field is required.

Candidate should have 8+ years of relevant technical experience.

Candidate should have 3+ years or relevant experience leading teams and managing resources for software development.

Excellent communication (verbal and written) and team leadership skills.

Candidate must demonstrate their ability to work independently, collaborate closely with team members, discern efficient roles and tasks for their team members, think critically, act confidently and judiciously, exercise impeccable judgement, consistently make rational decisions, and impart a productive sense of urgency to others.

Understanding of the software development life cycle, its phases, life cycle models, metrics or performance indicators, and techniques for rapid development while ensuring high-quality solutions and on-time results.

Able to multi-task and willing to work with teammates to contribute directly to industry events, white papers and competitive proposals.

Basic understanding of software engineering process and the appropriateness of its use, application, and proper methods of tailoring.

Basic understanding of systems engineering principles and practices relevant to software.

Clearance Qualification

Candidate must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance (interim and final).

Preferred Experience, Skills or Abilities

• Software Development: Experience with planning, specification, design, development, integration, installation/deployment, and maintenance of software for airborne systems, mission planning systems, missile/weapon platforms, uncrewed or autonomous systems, and/or ground control/support systems.
• User Experience Programming Languages: Basic knowledge in one or more programming languages used in applications and front-end software, such as JavaScript, C#, Java or Python.
• Agile Development: Experience as Product Owner, Scrum Master, or Developer performing software product development using Agile development methodologies within one or more Agile tools such as Atlassian Jira, Trello, Monday.com.
• Agentic AI: Experience using and influencing the adoption of tools like Anthropic’s Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex or other coding agents to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to comprehend changes, characterize impact and assess risk to plans or existing solutions, estimate their level of effort and resources, describe (written and verbal) courses of action (COA) or decision analysis, and facilitate team consensus.
• Collaboration: Work responsibly, reliably and independently in a fast-paced, open, collaborative cross-functional cross-organizational environment without direct oversight.
• Transparency: Elicit, accept, and provide constructive informal feedback amongst other team members to uphold technical excellence and quality workmanship.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available here.

• competitive compensation
• Health and Wellness programs
• Income Protection
• Paid Leave
• Retirement

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.

Additional Information

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.

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].

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: September 28, 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.