Sr. Software Engineer

Senior Software Engineer – C‑UAS Network Communication System (NCS)

Locations: Huntsville, AL and Alexandria, VA .Telecommuting may be available.Clearance: CurrentSecret clearance withthe ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance.

Position iscontingent upon contract award.

Leidos is seeking aSenior Software Engineer to lead design, development, integration, and prototyping for the Army’sCounter‑UAS (C‑UAS) Network Communication System (NCS). You’ll build secure, low‑latency tactical software enabling network integration ofM‑LIDS andFS‑LIDS systems supportingShort‑Range Air Defense (SHORAD) missions.

Role Overview

You will serve as a senior technical lead across the full software lifecycle—architecture updates, rapid prototyping, secure communications development, cloud integration, remote access solutions, low‑latency performance engineering, and deployment support in contested environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Software architecture leadership — modify and evolve C‑UAS tactical software baselines.
• Rapid prototyping — build and demo proof‑of‑concept capabilities for government evaluators.
• Secure communications development — implement encrypted, authenticated tactical data transmission.
• Remote access engineering — design zero‑trust gateways and encrypted remote sessions.
• Cloud integration — develop low‑latency data transfer to Army‑authorized cloud environments.
• Low‑latency optimization — profile and tune software for near‑real‑time performance.
• Command‑and‑control tools — build centralized and distributed management capabilities.
• Integration & testing — validate prototypes in simulated contested environments.
• Cybersecurity support — contribute to secure coding, software assurance, and ATO documentation.

Basic Qualifications

• Masters degree in CS, Software Engineering, EE, or related field preferred. Bachelor’s degree in CS, Software Engineering, EE, or related field;15+ years relevant experience is required.
• Senior‑level development expertise inC, C++, Python, or Java for tactical/embedded systems.
• CurrentSecret security clearance withthe ability to obtain a Top Secret security clearance.
• Proven leadership inprototype development and iterative build‑test cycles.
• Experience designing/modifyingcomplex tactical or networked software architectures.
• Hands‑on experience withsecure communications, encryption, MFA, and access control.
• Expertise inVPN/zero‑trust remote access, secure gateways, and encrypted sessions.
• Demonstrated ability to engineerlow‑latency, jitter‑optimized software.
• Experience developing software forDIL (degraded/intermittent/limited) environments.
• Knowledge ofDoD cybersecurity, secure coding, andRMF/ATO processes.
• Strong technical writing and ability to brief government stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience withC‑UAS, SHORAD, LIDS, or related Army air‑defense programs.
• Background modifyingfielded tactical defense software.
• Experience withedge/cloud architectures in contested environments.
• Participation inrapid capability demos or soldier touchpoints.
• Familiarity withDoD crypto standards, DevSecOps, or containerized environments.
• Prior DoDtechnical lead experience.
• AWS/Azure GovCloud certifications.

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:

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:

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.