Principal Systems Engineer

Leidos is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer (LEAD) to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP). L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation platform built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture, enabling next-generation air traffic management capabilities. You will lead systems engineering across a four-ART engineering organization, providing technical governance for requirements, interfaces, integration, verification, and safety analysis. We are building with an AI-first engineering mindset, embracing emerging AI capabilities and modern development practices to accelerate delivery, improve software quality, and continuously evolve how we design and build mission-critical systems. This position supports government programs and requires the ability to obtain and   maintain   a favorable Public Trust investigation.   This role is part of a growing program, and hiring will depend on available funding. We review applications on a rolling basis, but the timeline for interviews and offers may vary. In some cases, we may extend  contingent offers  that become active once funding is confirmed.  This position is located in  Gaithersburg, MD; Egg Harbor Township, NJ; or Eagan, MN . This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that impact millions of air travelers.  This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days remote work.  Candidates should reside a commutable distance to one of the above locations.

Lead cross-program systems engineering activities across four ARTs   Establish and govern requirements management processes and standards   Define and manage interface control documents and integration specifications   Develop verification and validation (V&V) strategy and execution plans   Maintain requirements traceability from stakeholder needs through implementation   Lead system integration planning and execution across the platform   Conduct safety analysis including hazard identification and mitigation   Support certification activities and regulatory compliance evidence   Define and enforce SE process standards and best practices   Lead technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, and TRR   Ensure cross-ART architectural consistency by   establishing   shared systems engineering standards and interface governance   Lead modernization planning from a systems engineering perspective including decomposition strategies and transition sequencing   Govern interfaces between legacy and modernized services   maintaining   technical coherence across the program   Champion an AI-first engineering culture by   identifying   and applying AI-assisted development capabilities, automation, and emerging software engineering practices that improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, and delivery.   Core Technical Qualifications:     Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of relevant experience   or Master's degree and 10+ years of experience or equivalent experience. Systems engineering leadership for large-scale, complex programs   Requirements management   expertise   including decomposition and allocation   Verification and validation planning and execution at the enterprise level   Interface management across multiple subsystems and teams   MBSE and   SysML   modeling experience for complex system architectures   System integration planning and execution for distributed platforms   Safety-critical systems engineering including hazard and risk analysis   Aviation or defense domain systems engineering experience   Proficiency   with DOORS, Jama, or equivalent requirements management tools   Ability to obtain and   maintain   a Public Trust clearance; US citizenship   required ; subject to government background investigation   Experience ensuring architectural consistency across multiple development teams or release trains   Demonstrated