Principal Software Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our team in developing the forefront of unmanned and autonomous ship development for the US Government. Based in Arlington VA you will be embedded within an Agile Scrum team designing building and testing software that powers some of the nations most critical maritime programs. The candidate will help to lead projects of significant national importance guiding the transformation of existing vessels into autonomous platforms and supporting the development of new ships from concept through deployment.

What Youll Work On:

Our software portfolio spans the full spectrum of autonomous maritime operations including:

• Ship Automation & Control Systems
• Autonomous Navigation
• Sensor Fusion & Processing
• Communication Systems
• Modeling & Simulation for verification and software testing

Primary Responsibilities

• Analyze design code and update software for new features and performance improvements.

• Participate in the full software development lifecycle from requirements and design through implementation testing and deployment.

• Serve as technical lead for small projects providing direction and ensuring technical quality.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers fostering professional growth and elevating team capabilities.
• Perform peer reviews of software ensuring quality maintainability and adherence to best practices.
• Drive continuous process improvement collaborating with the team to optimize workflows tools and engineering practices.
• Assist with evaluating field tests analyzing results and transitioning findings into actionable software enhancements.
• Engage directly with client project stakeholders communicating technical progress risks and solutions effectively.
• Some travel (up to 25%) to support field testing client engagements and program milestones.

Basic Qualifications

• A Bachelors degree in Computer Science or STEM field plus 12 years of professional software development experience or 10 years of professional experience with a Masters degree.
• Understanding of data structures.
• Professional experience using C and Linux.
• Knowledge of the Linux operating system.
• Experience with software source control and configuration management tools.
• Significant experience working in a team environment including experience providing guidance and coaching other developers
• Exposure to one or more of the following: high availability sensor fusion target tracking path planning communications systems or military systems integration.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with the Atlassian tool suite (Jira Confluence)
• Familiarity with automated build processes (Bamboo Jenkins etc.)
• Professional experience using Java and front-end development frameworks.
• Knowledge and experience with relational databases such as Oracle MySQL PostgreSQL MariaDB or Microsoft SQL Server.
• Experience with Python.
• Experience designing complex systems considering performance and user requirements.
• Experience with interface communication standards / protocols such as TCP/IP UDP and DDS.
• Familiarity with game theory artificial intelligence petri nets safety critical software.
• Demonstrated experience with Docker and Kubernetes (RKE2) in containerization Kubernetes management and automation technologies.
• Experienced in designing implementing and analyzing simulations involving extensive datasets ensuring efficient data processing and accurate modeling outcomes.
• Proficient in applying vector geometry concepts for spatial analysis modeling and problem-solving in simulation environments.
• Active Secret Security Clearance preferred

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.