Principal Rust Software Engineer (Analytics & R&D)

We are seeking a Principal Rust Software Engineer to design and develop high-performance analytics-driven systems supporting mission-critical research and product development initiatives.

This role provides technical leadership in modern software engineering leveraging Rust-based systems programming data-intensive architectures and advanced analytics pipelines to deliver scalable resilient and production-ready capabilities. You will work across the full lifecyclefrom concept and prototyping to productizationenabling rapid innovation and transition into operational environments.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in systems programming data processing and applied analytics along with experience in Agile environments and continuous delivery practices. You will integrate analytics software and infrastructure into cohesive solutions that address complex technical challenges.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical thought leader in systems programming analytics and modern software development practices.
• Design and develop high-performance applications in Rust emphasizing safety concurrency and efficiency.
• Architect and implement data pipelines analytics frameworks and real-time processing systems to support R&D and product initiatives.
• Leverage open-source and commercial tools to build scalable modular and reusable software components.
• Apply software engineering best practices to ensure integration across infrastructure applications and data systems.
• Collaborate within Agile teams participating in daily scrums and frequent technical exchanges.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex system performance and data challenges.
• Identify assess and mitigate technical risks across research and product development efforts.
• Rapidly prototype and iterate on new ideas transitioning successful concepts into production-grade solutions.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelors degree and 12 years of relevant technical experience in software engineering systems engineering data science or related fields (additional years experience may substitute for degree).
• Strong experience developing in Rust (or equivalent systems languages such as C with willingness to transition).
• Experience building data-intensive applications analytics platforms or distributed systems.
• Proficiency with modern software development practices including CI/CD and Agile methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems and bring structure to ambiguous or unstructured data challenges.
• Experience with data processing analytics or machine learning frameworks (e.g. Python ecosystem Spark or similar).
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced innovation-driven environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) in Computer Science Engineering or related discipline.
• Experience in research environments including rapid prototyping and experimental system development.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing distributed systems or edge computing architectures.
• Experience translating R&D concepts into production-ready products or platforms.
• Background working with cross-functional teams including researchers product managers and external partners.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance

If youre looking for comfort keep scrolling. At Leidos we outthink outbuild and outpace the status quo because the mission demands it. Were not hiring followers. Were recruiting the ones who disrupt provoke and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. Were already at step 30 and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

Pay Range:

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.