Lead AI Software Developer
Description
Leidos is seeking a Lead AI Software Developer to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Baseline. Common Baseline is a mission-critical, future-ready automation solution built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture. As a member of a Scaled Agile software development organization, you will contribute to the technical execution of a program that integrates proven, globally deployed technologies with modern cloud-native and AI-enabled capabilities. You will work alongside cross-functional teams and technical leaders to deliver predictable outcomes in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment.
What You’ll Do
- Design, develop, and maintain microservices-based applications using modern software engineering best practices
- Collaborate with product owners, architects, and engineers in an Agile/SAFe environment
- Participate in sprint planning, daily standups, reviews, and retrospectives
- Collaborate with systems engineering and program teams to translate requirements into working software solutions
- Develop clean, maintainable, and testable code following CI/CD and DevSecOps practices
- Contribute to system design discussions and technical decision-making
- Integrate services with databases, messaging systems, and external APIs
- Support troubleshooting, performance tuning, and continuous improvement
- Work closely with QA, DevOps, and platform teams to ensure reliable delivery
- Implement modern automated testing strategies, including unit, integration, contract, and end-to-end testing
- Use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate coding, refactoring, debugging, and test creation
Core Technical Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience)
- 4+ years of relevant experience or a Master's Degree and 2+ years of relevant experience
- Hands-on experience building and supporting microservices-based systems
- Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Java, Python, C++, or similar on a Linux-based system)
- Experience or exposure to AI/ML-enabled systems (Claude-Code), automation, or intelligent platforms
- Experience working in Agile environments
- Understanding of APIs and distributed system concepts
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust
- U.S. citizenship required
Preferred / Desired Qualifications
- Experience with Git-based version control and CI/CD pipelines
- Familiarity with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Experience working with relational and/or NoSQL databases
- Hands-on experience with Kafka or other event-streaming technologies
- Cloud experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Containerization and orchestration experience (Docker, Kubernetes)
- Experience working in DevSecOps environments
- Experience with test automation frameworks and integration of automated test suites into CI/CD pipelines
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.
About Leidos
Leidos is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are proud to be a federal contractor and to support the mission of our government customers. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.