Are you interested in shaping the future of transportation? Consider joining the Leidos team operating FHWA’s Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL), a USDOT research lab focused on the improvement of transportation operations, safety, mobility, and environmental impacts.  STOL provides a variety of services to support the advancement and adoption of emerging technologies, including automation and communication in vehicles and on the roadside. 

This role requires full-time on-site work at the customer site in McLean, VA.

Candidates MUST:

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States with proof of legal status and be eligible for a Public Trust Clearance, which includes three consecutive years in the United States within the last five years.

In this role, you will work with:

• Cooperative Driving Automation (CDA) systems, including vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-pedestrian, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication hardware, software, and standards.
• Real-time collaborative testing across physically distributed locations using live and simulated assets.
• Advanced simulations of vehicles, pedestrians, and transportation infrastructure.
• Traffic optimization and intelligent transportation systems.

Learn about our work here:

STOL: Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory Overview | FHWA

CARMA Platform: CARMA Simulation Enabling Cooperative Driving Automation Research

V2X-Hub: Vehicle-To-Everything (V2X) Hub

Distributed Testing (VOICES): https://tinyurl.com/voices-sit1

Role Summary:

 Leidos is seeking an experienced V2X Systems Engineer who is motivated by variety, thrives in a challenging environment, seeks professional growth, and will be a key part of a team developing and extending a variety of applications and components in support of transportation research.  This person will play a key role in developing and evaluating technologies to advance the future of transportation.

The successful candidate will work closely with fellow engineers, developers, and managers to lead the definition of requirements, identify system needs, create hardware and software testing solutions, direct the development and execution of test plans, and perform data analysis.  The candidate should enjoy working in a lab environment and in real-world, hands-on settings developing and testing new solutions, tools, and opportunities to advance the state of technology and promote adoption.  The V2X Systems Engineer will be part of a dynamic research team that advances connected and automated vehicle technologies for FHWA. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead simulation and field testing of connected and automated vehicles and connected infrastructure.
• Effectively communicate with the customer and project team when providing insights on results and best practices, serving as a technical lead for project milestones.
• Investigate, develop, and test emerging transportation technologies, including hardware and software solutions.
• Define functional requirements and performance metrics, and manage planning, scheduling, and resource management for test campaigns.
• Lead the development of simulation, virtualization, and distributed testing solutions.
• Coordinate with development teams to resolve technical issues and oversee the daily activities of hardware engineers, software engineers, and technicians.

Required Education, Skills, and Experience

• BS degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related field and at least 6 years of prior relevant experience in simulation and testing.
• 5+ years of experience leading tasks and projects, including developing and executing test plans and procedures and generating performance metrics.
• 5+ years of experience with hardware/software-in-the-loop (HIL/SIL) development, simulation, and testing.
• Knowledge of and experience with the systems engineering process, quality assurance best practices, and Agile Scrum methodology (e.g., Jira, Confluence).
• Experience scripting in Python, Bash, and SQL .
• Experience testing and evaluating software in a Linux environment.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with and lead internal and external teams.
• Self-motivated, hands-on, and able to self-teach, with a keen interest in working with hardware and software.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance (requires three years of immediate residency in the US).
• Willingness to work on-site and travel to test sites in the US (15% travel on average) with a valid US driver’s license and a good driving record.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), V2X messaging, Cooperative Driving Automation (CDA), Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV), and vehicle operations.
• Experience identifying process efficiencies and improvements in development and testing, with knowledge of safety best practices for vehicle and pedestrian testing.
• Proficiency in network administration and simulation tools (e.g., NS-3), as well as an understanding of vehicle kinematics, dynamics, controls, and sensor calibration.
• Experience working with Java, C/C++, and SQL.
• Familiarity with transportation simulation environments (e.g., SUMO, CARLA, etc.).
• Hands-on setup of data collection hardware and software.
• Experience deploying robotics platforms in real-world and simulation environments
• Familiarity with networking, connected vehicle, and ITS standards including IEEE 1609, 802.11, 3GPP Rel 14/15 PC5, SAE J2735/J2945/J3161, NTCIP 1202/1218.
• Experience with engaging external communities and stakeholders.

Anticipated salary for this role: $95,000 - $125,000

At Leidos, we don’t want someone who "fits the mold"—we want someone who melts it down and builds something better. This is a role for the restless, the over-caffeinated, the ones who ask, “what’s next?” before the dust settles on “what’s now.”

If you’re already scheming step 20 while everyone else is still debating step 2… good. You’ll fit right in.

Original Posting:

January 9, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $73,450.00 - $132,775.00

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.