Systems Engineering Section Manager

Leidos; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Huntsville, Alabama, seeks a Systems Engineering Section Manager to lead a team of four to eight engineers while maintaining ongoing technical commitments. The role combines branch leadership with hands-on systems engineering across Space Platforms and Kinetic Effects programs.

The candidate will mentor staff, drive standardized tools and processes, and coordinate with management on critical issues, proposals, and business development opportunities.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited degree with 5+ years of experience or an MS with 2+ years.
• Experience with complex engineering practices and product development cycle.
• Experience deriving and managing requirements for complex systems.
• Experience coordinating system integration and test activities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead Technical Design Reviews.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to four to eight direct reports in a matrixed organization.
• Mentor direct reports; lead by example in values, ethics and quality.
• Report status to Branch Manager and communicate critical issues.
• Interview new candidates and contribute to hiring decisions.
• Onboard new employees and arrange equipment/space.
• Conduct performance appraisals and coaching for direct reports.

Skills

Leadership

Requirements development

System verification

Technical design reviews

Mentoring

Staff management

Communications

Multi-disciplinary collaboration

Education

ABET-accredited degree (B.S. in Engineering)

Master of Science in System Engineering

Tools

DOORS

JAMA

Cameo/MagicDraw

Job description

Description

The Systems Engineering and Integration Branch at Leidos currently has an opening for a Systems Engineering Section Manager to support our Huntsville, Alabama office. This Section Manager will join a team of 3 managers in the SE Branch, where they will be involved in the daily management decisions for the branch. The Section Manager will be expected to maintain their current technical commitments while taking on Section Management. The Section Manager will be part of a diverse team focused on providing systems engineering support for a wide variety of applications in the Space Platforms Portfolio and across the Kinetic Effects Business Area. Candidate will be required to support multiple tasks in parallel, contribute to and lead team environments, and communicate effectively to management, employees, coworkers, and customers. The individual must also be self-motivated and highly organized with a focus on managing customer expectations with a constant goal of generating high quality products that exceed customer expectations.

Primary Responsibilities

As a Systems Engineering Section Manager, the candidate is expected to provide leadership to four to eight direct reports in the branch, which is a matrixed organization. These direct reports may be working different programs from commercial space to defense, have varying experience levels, and have different specialties (e.g. verification, requirements development). The Section Manager is expected to mentor direct reports; lead by example in Leidos Values, ethics, attitude, work quality, and discipline; keep management informed of critical issues; participate in proposal and business development opportunities, as required; and develop/maintain standardized tools and processes.

• Track the long-term staffing of their direct reports.
• Help their direct reports manage their careers long-term by finding them opportunities that are aligned with their desires and skillsets.
• Check in with direct reports on a regular basis and report status up to Branch Manager.
• Track and approve requests for equipment and software for direct reports.
• Interview new candidates and provide input into SE&I Branch hiring decisions.
• Onboard new employees, including putting requests in for new equipment, identifying office space, meeting new employees on their first day.
• Conduct performance appraisals.
• Hold performance discussions and provide coaching to direct reports.

Basic Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent degree from an ABET-accredited university with 5+ years of experience or an MS with 2+ years.
• Candidates must have knowledge of and experience with complex engineering practices and processes, including the product development cycle through qualification and production.
• Experience in deriving and managing requirements for complex electrical, electro-mechanical, mechanical, and software systems.
• Experience creating verification and test plans and coordinating system integration and test activities to support verification of system level requirements.
• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating within a team environment, including leading and conducting Technical Design Reviews.
• Position requires candidates to be capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment working closely with multidisciplinary teams.
• Candidate must be a resident of the North Alabama area or be willing to relocate.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference shown to candidates who possess a Master of Science in System Engineering from an ABET-accredited university.

Preferred candidates will also have experience and/or working knowledge with:

• Model Based Systems Engineering tools, such as DOORS, JAMA, or Cameo/MagicDraw.
• Demonstrated experience effectively leading a team of engineers.
• Demonstrated experience accurately estimating the engineering effort (i.e. hours) associated with Systems Engineering tasks.
• Understanding of the DoD and/or NASA acquisition processes and methods.
• Experience supporting one or more DoD and/or NASA programs.
• Experience with government and/or commercial aerospace hardware development projects.
• Experience working as part of multi-company and multi-organizational development teams.
• Object Management Group (OMG) Certified System Modeler Professional (OCSMP) certification.
• INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional (SEP) certification (ASEP or CSEP).

AppKinetic

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

August 21, 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 $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand 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.

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.

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

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.