Software Engineer SME

Leidos National Security Sector combines technology-enabled services and mission software capabilities in the areas of cyber, logistics, security operations, and decision analytics to support our defense and intel customers’ mission to defend against evolving threats around the world. Our team’s focus is to ensure our customers have the right tools, technologies, and tactics to keep pace with an ever-evolving security landscape and succeed in their pursuit to protect people and critical assets.

The Intelligence Production Solutions Division (IPSD), part of the Decision Advantage Solutions Business Area, is currently seeking an experienced Software Engineer Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Chinook Program. The Chinook Program delivers mission-critical, modern software solutions across our customer’s enterprise using Agile, DevSecOps, and cloud-native methodologies.

In this role, you will lead design and development efforts for scalable applications and services that power GEOINT production, data services, and mission user interfaces. You will work closely with our customer Product Owners, architects, and cross-functional agile teams to deliver secure, high-performance solutions on classified cloud infrastructure.

Position may be performed in the following locations below. Please note Gaithersburg, MD is the program’s primary work location.

Gaithersburg, MD

Alexandria, VA

Chantilly, VA

Aurora, CO

St. Louis, MO

Tucson, AZ

Clearance Level Required :

Must have a Top Secret with SCI eligibility and able to obtain a Polygraph.

Primary Responsibilities :

Serve as the lead software engineer and technical advisor for mission applications under the Chinook program.

Design, build, and maintain enterprise-grade microservices and APIs that support GEOINT data workflows.

Lead agile development sprints, provide guidance on architectural decisions, and enforce DevSecOps best practices.

Build and optimize containerized applications for deployment in classified AWS (C2S / GovCloud) or IC ITE environments.

Collaborate with customer stakeholders, analysts, and development teams to translate mission needs into software solutions.

Ensure solutions comply with customer and IC-wide cybersecurity, data governance, and open standards (OGC, NSG, etc.).

Mentor junior engineers, provide code reviews, and contribute to technical roadmap and documentation.

Basic Qualifications :

US citizenship is required per contract.

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field and 12-15 years of prior relevant experience or Master’s with 10-13 years of prior relevant experience.

Proficient with the following technologies :

Web : HTML, CSS, JSON, Ajax, and REST APIs

Object-oriented Programming :  Python, Java, and JavaScript

Advanced Programming : Go

Front-end and Back-end Frameworks : React, Angular, Vue.js, jQuery, Spring Boot, Django, Node.js, Flask, or Svelte.

Cloud Development : AWS, Azure, or similar cloud platforms

Relational Database :  MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server

Operating System : Windows, Linux

Version Control System :  Git

Proficiency with AWS (C2S / GovCloud) and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation).

Established experience building and deploying containerized services (Docker / Kubernetes).

Solid understanding of DevSecOps tools : GitLab CI / CD, Jenkins, SonarQube, Nexus, Keycloak, Vault.

In depth knowledge of Agile / Scrum practices and tools (JIRA, Confluence)

Solid understanding of customer specific data types and standards, such as OGC WMS / WFS, NSG, and GEOINT workflows.

Preferred Qualifications :

Frontend Web Development : UI / UX

NoSQL Database : OpenSearch / Elasticsearch.

Cloud Exposure :

Multi-cloud architectures : AWS, IBM, Google, Azure, and Oracle.

Specific AWS Services : S3, SQS, SNS, EC2, CloudFormation and RDS.

Knowledge of Customer's GEOINT Functional Requirements, or related IC systems.

Advanced certifications such as AWS Certified Developer or Solutions Architect, CISSP, SAFe Agile or similar.

#Chinook

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 : October 3, 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 $126,100.00 - $227,950.00

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.