Sonar Tactical Decision Aid Subject Matter Expert

Leidos LLC; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 73,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Income protection

Paid leave and retirement

Job summary

Leidos LLC in Bethesda, MD is seeking an experienced senior ASW specialist to help design and deliver advanced sonar tactical decision aids and related tools for the U.S. Navy.

You will serve as SME for Integrated Undersea Surveillance System and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure realism, accuracy, and operational relevance across acoustic models, sensors, and interfaces. Occasional travel up to 25% is required.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of fleet operational ASW experience.
• Experience at an IUSS site supporting mission operations.
• Familiarity with undersea warfare tactics, acoustic sensors, and beamforming.
• Ability to obtain an interim security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Apply in-depth ASW, acoustic, and oceanographic knowledge to design, testing, and evaluation.
• Perform functional and verification testing of sonar TDAs across configurations.
• Collaborate with developers to troubleshoot, verify, and validate system functionality.
• Develop and maintain training materials, user guides, and procedures.
• Interface with government customers, fleet representatives to gather feedback.
• Travel up to 25% to fleet sites or test facilities.

Skills

ASW operations

Acoustic modeling

System testing

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics, acoustics, oceanography, or engineering

Tools

Fleet acoustic analysis tools

Job description

Leidos' High Fidelity Simulation Business Area designs and delivers cutting-edge system-of-systems solutions that power world-class simulation, training, and analysis products for the U.S. Navy. In this role, you will leverage your Naval operational and acoustic expertise to support the design, development, and delivery of advanced sonar tactical decision aids (TDAs) and related tools. You will collaborate with software developers, analysts, and fleet users to ensure tactical realism, operational relevance, and technical excellence in Leidos' undersea warfare products. This position offers a unique opportunity to directly impact Fleet readiness and undersea dominance by applying your anti-submarine warfare (ASW) knowledge to real-world mission systems.

What You'll Work On

Serve as the primary subject matter expert (SME) for Integrated Undersea Surveillance System and secondary SME for other TDA systems such as STK and STK-N. Participate in development planning, functional system testing, and program verification tests (PVTs) at development or fleet facilities. Collaborate with cross-functional development teams to ensure operational accuracy in acoustic models, sensors, and system interfaces. Prepare and deliver detailed briefings and analyses to fleet stakeholders and external organizations. Provide operational insight into ASW system performance, sonar data interpretation, and tactical employment strategies. Apply project and team management skills to coordinate tasking, track progress, and ensure on-time delivery of system upgrades, documentation, and training.

Primary Responsibilities

Apply in-depth ASW, acoustic, and oceanographic knowledge to system design, testing, and evaluation. Perform functional and verification testing of sonar tactical decision aid software across multiple system configurations. Collaborate with developers to troubleshoot, verify, and validate system functionality and user interface improvements. Develop and maintain training materials, user guides, and operational procedures. Interface with government customers, fleet representatives, and partner organizations to gather feedback and align capabilities with user needs. Travel (up to 25%) to fleet sites or test facilities for demonstrations, training, and system testing.

Basic Qualifications

12+ years of fleet operational experience directly related to ASW operations, systems, and theory in lieu of degree; OR bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics, acoustics, oceanography, or engineering and 10+ years of directly related ASW operational experience. Experience working at an IUSS site supporting mission operations. Familiarity with recent undersea warfare tactics, acoustic sensors, and beamforming principles. Background in acoustic theory or oceanography. Proven ability to build strong working relationships across multi-disciplinary teams. Ability to obtain an interim security clearance.

Desired Qualifications

Excellent oral and written communication skills, including technical documentation and stakeholder briefings. Knowledge of Fleet acoustic analysis tools.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: Pay Range $73,450.00 - $132,775.00 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.

• Employment benefits include 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.

Company Overview

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.