Software Engineering Director - L7

Lockheed Martin Corporation; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Flexible work arrangements

401(k) match

Paid time off

Holidays

Parental Leave

EAP

Flexible Spending Accounts

Education Assistance

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Job summary

Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth seeks a senior F-35 Software Director to lead the 800+ software engineers through requirements, architecture, development, verification, deployment and sustainment of airborne and ground software products.

You will drive safety-critical and cyber-compliant processes, define 3-year workforce plans, modernize tooling, and push towards containerized, cloud-native architectures with DevSecOps across internal and supplier teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Demonstrated technical and people leadership experience.
• Software architecture competency and complex software development experience.
• Experience leading multi-discipline engineering teams.
• Strong problem-solving and corrective action skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the F-35 Software organization (~800+ engineers) through all lifecycle stages for airborne and ground software products.
• Ensure software product area complies with safety-critical (SEAL Plan) and cyber requirements.
• Define 3-year hiring, upskilling, and succession plans to grow engineers in modern practices.
• Define and govern standard work to meet safety, flight clearance, and delivery requirements for programs and government customers.
• Oversee software development lifecycle execution in support of EPM IPT demands.
• Champion engineering discipline and process excellence with mentors and modern industry practices.
• Drive transition to container-based deployments, micro-services, and Kubernetes while maintaining aerospace certification compliance.
• Promote cloud-native designs, service meshes, and CI/CD to accelerate delivery and reliability.
• Migrate internal and supplier teams to DevSecOps, automated quality gates, and infrastructure-as-code pipelines.
• Define roadmaps including AI/ML integration and refactoring monoliths into micro-services.

Skills

Leadership

Software architecture

Technical leadership

Problem-solving

Diverse multi-discipline teams

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Standard Job Description

The position of F-35 Software Director, will be reporting to F-35 Integrated Engineering Vice President. This position is located in Fort Worth, Texas.

In This Role The Director Is Responsible For

• Lead the F-35 Software organization (~800+ engineers) through the full lifecycle which includes requirements decomposition, architecture, development, verification, deployment, and sustainment, of all airborne and ground-based software products.
• Responsible for ensuring the software product area is aligned with processes for safety critical (SEAL Plan Compliant), cyber, and non-safety critical requirements
• Own the software workforce strategy by defining 3-year hiring/upskilling/succession plans and developing the next generation of engineers in modern development practice.
• Defines and govern “standard work” to ensure compliance with technical, safety and flight clearance requirements in delivery of products to program and government customers.
• Responsible for overseeing the execution of the Software Products and development cycle in support of the EPM IPT demands.
• Champion engineering discipline and process excellence through mentors, coaches and enhancing program execution by incorporating proven corporate practices while aggressively migrating the team and associated suppliers to modern industry standards.
• Champion the transition to container‑based deployments, micro‑service architectures, and orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes) while maintaining aerospace safety‑critical certification compliance.
• Drive adoption of cloud‑native design patterns, service‑mesh technologies, and CI/CD pipelines to accelerate delivery and improve reliability.
• Migrate internal and supplier teams to industry‑standard DevSecOps practices, automated quality gates, and modern toolchains (infrastructure‑as‑code, automated testing, secure build pipelines).
• Define technology road‑maps that include AI/ML integration, legacy code refactoring, and re‑architecting monolithic applications into micro‑service ecosystems to shorten development cycles.
• Acts as a Change Agent and Change leader for Software modernization by defining new technology, AI Adoption, improved processes, technique to continue to improve/refactor software products, Re-architecture opportunities, and improve cycles within the development lifecycle to support future demands on the program.
• Responsible to collaborate with ETech for ensuring consistent tools and metrics across the software teams.

Manages software development activities. Responsible for coordinating subordinate employee recruitment, selection and training, performance assessment, work assignments, salary, and recognition/disciplinary actions. Oversees the design, development, documentation, and testing of software that contains logical and mathematical solutions to business/mission problems or questions in computer language for solutions by means of data processing equipment. Applies the appropriate standards, processes, procedures, and tools throughout the development life cycle. Applies knowledge of computer hardware and software, subject matter to be programmed in business/mission applications, information processing techniques used, and information gathered from system users to develop software. Ensures software standards are met.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• Demonstrated technical and people leadership experience including leading diverse and dynamic multi-discipline engineering teams
• Demonstrated Software Architecture Competency experience
• Experience in technical leadership and Complex Software development with multi-discipline engineering teams
• Demonstrated corrective action and problem-solving skills

Desired Skills

• Bachelor's degree with STEM degree
• Software Development Experience
• Experience with DevSecOps development methodology and agile metrics
• Cultural Catalyst - Demonstrated ability to manage and change culture within a large organization that results in improved performance
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with experience engaging and presenting in executive level meetings
• Ability to obtain Special Program Access

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $180000.00 - $325000.00

At Lockheed Martin, we know mission success starts with taking care of our people. Our Total Rewards program is designed to attract top talent, support your well-being, and help you grow—both professionally and personally.

The salary range for this position is as listed on the requisition. Please note that the salary information listed is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market(work location) and business considerations when extending an offer.

Benefits offered:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible work arrangements and schedules (e.g., 4x10)
• 401(k) match
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• Parental Leave
• EAP
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Education Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Short-Term Disability
• Long-Term Disability

• Annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs may be offered depending on the position. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and can vary from year to year and are tied to a range of performance metrics.

• For (Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.