Solution Architect

Leidos Inc; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Chantilly, VA is seeking a Solutions Architect to join the Mission Solutions team. You will act as a technical contributor within the CTO organization, shaping multi-domain solutions that blend cybersecurity, cloud, AI, and communications to meet mission needs.

The role emphasizes systems thinking, collaboration with SMEs, and turning ambiguous requirements into well-reasoned technical approaches. A TS/SCI with Polygraph is preferred, U.S. citizenship required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in a STEM field with 12+ years of technical experience.
• Experience in cybersecurity, network engineering, cloud, software, or mission systems.
• USIC/IC experience with clearances and ability to brief engineers and leadership.
• Ability to learn new domains and collaborate across disciplines.
• U.S. Citizen with active TS/SCI and Polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Support design of mission-aligned technical approaches.
• Analyze needs, break down problems, contribute to solutions.
• Support capture and proposal efforts with technical narratives.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and assess fit into missions.
• Communicate concepts to engineers and leadership.
• Collaborate with SMEs across domains to build cohesive solutions.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Clear communication

Systems thinking

Questioning and learning

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Master's degree in STEM

Tools

Systems engineering practices

Enterprise architecture

Mission communications environments

Job description

Description

Interested in expanding your technical impact. Love solving tough problems.

Interested in expanding your technical impact. Love solving tough problems. Come architect the answers.

Leidos has an immediate opening for a Solutions Architect to join our Mission Solutions team within the Intelligence Sector and serve as a key technical contributor within the CTO organization.

This role is for technically curious problem-solvers who want to tackle challenges bigger than any one technology or system. If you enjoy understanding how secure networks and systems work, identifying vulnerabilities, defending against cyber threats, or solving complex security challenges, this role offers an opportunity to think bigger. Apply your technical experience to architect solutions that bring together cybersecurity, network and systems engineering, communications, AI, and emerging technologies to solve critical mission problems.

We're looking for someone with a strong technical foundation, curiosity, systems thinking, and the ability to learn. You don't need to know every technology or mission domain. You just need to be comfortable asking questions, working with subject matter experts, evaluating alternatives, and turning an ambiguous problem into a well-reasoned technical approach.

This position reports to the CTO for the Mission Solutions Business Area.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support Technical Solution Development: Contribute to the design of mission-aligned technical approaches that integrate emerging and established technologies to address customer challenges.
• Solve Complex Technical Problems: Help analyze mission needs and requirements, break down complex problems, and contribute to well-reasoned solution approaches.
• Contribute to Capture and Proposal Efforts: Support capture and business development activities by contributing to technical narratives, whitepapers, concept papers, and proposal sections under the guidance of experienced solution architects.
• Research and Evaluate Emerging Technologies: Assist in evaluating new capabilities such as AI-driven analytics, cyber resilience frameworks, cyber security operations, communications architectures, automation tools, or modeling and simulation technologies, and help assess how they may fit into mission solutions.
• Communicate Technical Concepts: Participate in technical discussions and briefings, helping articulate solution approaches to engineers, program teams, and leadership.
• Collaborate Across Domains: Work with SMEs across various emerging technical domains to build cohesive, multi-domain solutions.

Primary Focus Areas

• Cybersecurity and Resilient Architectures
• Enterprise IT, Cloud and Digital Modernization
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies
• Communications and Spectrum-Dependent Systems
• Network and Security Operations
• Systems and Enterprise Engineering
• Enterprise Solutions Architecture

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM-related discipline with 12+ years of relevant technical experience, or Master's degree with 10+ years of experience.
• Technical experience in one or more disciplines such as cybersecurity, network engineering, cloud infrastructure, software engineering, communications systems, intelligence and data collection technologies, or mission operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret requirements and contribute to well-reasoned technical approaches.
• Experience working within or supporting the Intelligence Community (IC), with an understanding of its missions, operational environments, and technical challenges.
• Experience communicating technical concepts clearly to engineers, analysts, and program teams through briefings, documentation, or design discussions.
• Ability to research unfamiliar technical areas, learn new concepts quickly, synthesize information from multiple sources, and apply that knowledge to solving technical problems.
• Familiarity with systems engineering practices, enterprise architecture concepts, or mission communications environments.
• Experience contributing to technical documentation such as design artifacts, concept papers, architecture discussions, whitepapers, or proposal sections.
• Ability to collaborate across technical disciplines and learn new domains as needed to support solution development.
• U.S. Citizen with active TS/SCI security clearance and Polygraph

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as solution architect or technical lead solving technical problems that required considering multiple systems, technologies, mission needs, or technical disciplines.
• Technical expertise in one or more mission-critical domains such as Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure), enterprise and mission networks, cyber defense operations, digital modernization, data collection architectures, or distributed communications systems with proven ability to apply it to shape the future of technology.
• Experience designing, evaluating, or integrating technical capabilities across multiple systems or disciplines, including secure network architectures, cyber defense, cloud environments, data collection platforms, or emerging technologies.
• Awareness of current technology ecosystems, vendors, and platforms relevant to mission systems.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams, bringing together diverse expertise to solve complex challenges, develop integrated solutions, and drive technical direction.
• Ability to conduct technical research into new technologies, evidence gathering to help shape solutions.
• Ability to work effectively in situations where the problem, requirements, or technical solution may not initially be well defined.

Why Leidos

At Leidos, you'll tackle complex national security challenges, collaborate with experts across technical disciplines, and explore emerging technologies to shape innovative mission solutions.

If you thrive on solving tough technical problems, enjoy learning something new, and want your ideas to make a difference, this is your seat at the whiteboard where tomorrow's mission solutions take shape.

Bring your expertise. Think bigger. Help architect what's next.

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

November 2, 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 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.

Employment benefits include:

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

More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

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.

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.