Chief Engineer Architect

Description

Leidos is seeking a Chief Engineer / Architect (CEA) to provide technical leadership for a large, complex mission-critical program whose purpose is develop, modernize, enhance, operate and maintain services for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) mission support systems. This program develops applications using agile methodologies, and software development technologies and practices for scaled DevSecOps. The program will be optimizing performance in the cloud, enhancing capabilities while sustaining legacy systems, and automating and evolving with AI / ML to continue to modernize the systems. In addition to the applications, there is a strong focus on user experience and security. This includes an enterprise portfolio of more than 40 systems inclusive of low-code / no-code, COTS (e.g., Salesforce, ServiceNow), ERP (e.g. SAP), and custom systems for asset management, case management, and other applications operating in cloud and on-premise environments. This position is on a future contract pending award announcement.

Primary Responsibilities :

Facilitate the creation and reuse of ideas, components, common services, and proven patterns across solutions delivered.

Lead the analysis of the IT portfolio and formulate the strategic plan and transition architectures needed to migrate and optimize applications in the cloud.

Represent the Leidos technical strategy to stakeholders and customer execs, document and represent the Leidos innovation and enhancement roadmap, and advocate for the CBP one OIT strategy and execution.

Define the roadmap for the IT portfolio and seek out and introduce innovative ideas such as Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence to bring added value to the CBP mission.

Develop a well-integrated and agile IT organization, consisting of over 400 people from different disciplines and companies, that follow Agile values & principals.

Ensure required security controls are implemented necessary to obtain authorizations to operate (ATO)and alignment with DHS / CBP enterprise architectures.

Drive strategic technological innovation, demonstrating a breadth and depth of knowledge in Information Technology and software operations.

Work effectively with software development teams, customers, and senior leadership.

Basic Qualifications :

Experience delivering well-architected, cloud-based applications.

Experience with managing and rationalizing diverse applications within a portfolio to maximize value delivered to the customer's mission.

Experience providing detailed engineering and technical leadership to engineering staff involving multiple, complex, and interrelated project tasks.

Hold recognized cloud certifications, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect, Cloud Certified Professional.

Must complete a CBP Full Background Investigation.

Education & Experience :

Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field and 15+ years of experience engineering / architecting enterprise applicationsor Doctorate with 13 - 16 years of prior relevant experience.

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

Experience with CBP Border Patrol mission and operating environments

Experience implementing NIST / DHS security controls required for systems categorized with HIGH-impact risk levels and to obtain and maintain authorization to operate (ATO).

Experience deploying CI / CD pipelines and DevOps Configuration Management Tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation) to automate the compile, build, test, and deployment of applications

Experience implementing hybrid / multi cloud solutions

Experience implementing and deploying containerized applications and supporting technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)

Experience with web & programming technologies including Angular, Java, .NET, ASP.net, HTML, CSS, XML, REST, JSON, and JavaScript

Experience with various database technologies (e.g., PostgreSQL MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle)

Active CBP BI

Location :

Ashburn VA or Washington DC

Come break things (in a good way). Then build them smarter.

We're the tech company everyone calls when things get weird. We don't wear capes (they're a safety hazard), but we do solve high-stakes problems with code, caffeine, and a healthy disregard for "how it's always been done."

Original Posting : August 8, 2025

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 :

Pay Range $148,850.00 - $269,075.00

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.