Technical Writer

Leidos LLC; Gaithersburg (MD); Hybrid; USD 66,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and Wellness programs

Paid Leave and Retirement

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Technical Writer based in Gaithersburg, MD, to own documentation efforts for national-security programs. You’ll gather details from engineers and subject-matter experts to produce polished, mission-ready documents and reflect how critical information is communicated and maintained.

The role requires producing system docs, user guides, SOPs, and release notes, while ensuring accuracy and compliance in controlled environments.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required per contract.
• Bachelor’s degree in English, Technical Communication, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience.
• 3–5+ years of professional technical writing experience in software, technology, systems engineering, defense, intelligence, or similar technical environments.
• Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation such as system documentation, SOPs, user guides, technical manuals, and release documentation.
• Experience working with technical teams to gather, understand, and document system or software information.
• Hands-on experience with Confluence and Jira or similar collaboration/documentation tools.
• Strong writing, editing, proofreading, and information-organization skills.
• Ability to research unfamiliar technical topics and work with subject-matter experts to develop accurate documentation.
• Strong attention to detail and technical accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, write, edit, and maintain technical documentation for GEOINT systems, software, and mission capabilities.
• Translate technical concepts into clear, concise, audience-appropriate documentation.
• Collaborate with engineers, developers, architects, analysts, and subject-matter experts to gather and validate technical information.
• Create and maintain system documentation, user guides, SOPs, release notes, technical manuals, and other program deliverables.
• Review and update existing documentation for accuracy, consistency, clarity, and completeness.
• Interview technical and mission personnel to gather information and translate it into usable documentation.
• Manage multiple documentation assignments and meet established deadlines.
• Work within controlled and classified environments while following program security and documentation requirements.
• Follow established documentation standards, templates, and content-development processes.

Skills

Strong writing skills

Editing

Proofreading

Information organization

Interpersonal & communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in English, Technical Communication, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or related field

Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC)

Tools

Confluence

Jira

Job description

As a Technical Writer, you will own and drive documentation efforts for sophisticated technical programs supporting national-security missions. You’ll work closely with software engineers, systems engineers, program leadership, subject‑matter experts, and customer stakeholders to gather information, understand complex technologies, and produce polished, mission‑ready documentation. This is an opportunity to do more than document products, you’ll help shape how critical technical information is communicated, understood, maintained, and ultimately used.

Gaithersburg, MD is the primary work location. The Technical Writer can have a flexible, telework‑friendly schedule but must be local to Gaithersburg, MD to come in throughout the week as needed.

Clearance Level Required: Active Top Secret/SCI with the ability to successfully pass a Polygraph examination.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop, write, edit, and maintain technical documentation for GEOINT systems, software, and mission capabilities.
• Translate technical concepts into clear, concise, audience‑appropriate documentation.
• Collaborate with engineers, developers, architects, analysts, and subject‑matter experts to gather and validate technical information.
• Create and maintain system documentation, user guides, SOPs, release notes, technical manuals, and other program deliverables.
• Review and update existing documentation for accuracy, consistency, clarity, and completeness.
• Interview technical and mission personnel to gather information and translate it into usable documentation.
• Manage multiple documentation assignments and meet established deadlines.
• Work within controlled and classified environments while following program security and documentation requirements.
• Follow established documentation standards, templates, and content‑development processes.

Basic Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required per contract.
• Bachelor’s degree in English, Technical Communication, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field with 4+ years of relevant experience; additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 3–5+ years of professional technical writing experience supporting software, technology, systems engineering, defense, intelligence, or similar technical environments.
• Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation such as system documentation, SOPs, user guides, technical manuals, and release documentation.
• Experience working with technical teams to gather, understand, and document system or software information.
• Hands‑on experience with Confluence and Jira or similar collaboration/documentation tools.
• Strong writing, editing, proofreading, and information‑organization skills.
• Ability to research unfamiliar technical topics and work with subject‑matter experts to develop accurate documentation.
• Strong attention to detail and technical accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), or other federal customers.
• Experience working in a classified environment.
• Familiarity with software development, cloud technologies, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, data systems, or systems engineering.
• Experience documenting Agile software development or DevSecOps teams.
• Experience with Markdown, Git, XML, DITA, or similar documentation/content‑management tools.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, AWS or Azure, containers, APIs, or modern software development environments.
• Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC) or similar certification.

Pay and Benefits

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 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.

Pay Range: Pay Range $65,650.00 - $118,675.00

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.

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.

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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.