This is not a maintenance role. This is a reinvention role.

Leidos is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for the design and delivery of AI-enabled software platforms and developer tools that support modernization of mission-critical systems.

This Principal Software Engineer role is responsible for system-level technical leadership and defines architectural direction within their domain, resolves complex cross-cutting technical challenges, and shapes how teams design, build, and operate software. The Principal Engineer is a hands-on technical leader who influences outcomes through technical excellence, architectural clarity, and mentorship, not through formal management authority.

This is a role for builders who bias toward action, who believe disruption can coexist with rigor, and who want to apply cutting-edge AI to the problems that matter most.

Mission Context

Our teams modernize software systems that support critical national missions across regulated and safety-critical domains. These systems require:

• High reliability, security, and resilience
• Scalable and maintainable architectures
• Responsible, governed use of AI technologies

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will shape the technical foundations that enable these systems to evolve safely and efficiently over time.

Why Join Us?

• Shape the technical foundations of mission-critical systems
• Lead real production engineering—not slideware architecture
• Apply AI responsibly to complex, high-stakes problems
• Operate at the highest technical level without moving into management

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Serve as the technical owner for major systems or platforms within an established strategic direction
• Define and evolve architectural patterns, design standards, and reference implementations
• Lead design reviews and guide teams toward sound technical decisions
• Identify and resolve complex technical risks spanning multiple components or teams

Hands-On Engineering

• Design and implement critical or high-risk components
• Review and elevate code quality across teams through deep technical feedback
• Prototype and validate new approaches before broader adoption
• Ensure systems meet requirements for scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability

AI-Enabled Systems Leadership

• Lead the technical design of AI-enabled capabilities using approved models, frameworks, and platforms
• Establish patterns for:
  • AI integration and orchestration
  • Evaluation, testing, and validation
  • Safety, governance, and human-in-the-loop controls
• Guide teams in applying AI responsibly within production systems

Cross-Team Influence & Mentorship

• Act as a technical authority and escalation point across multiple teams
• Mentor Senior and mid-level engineers by setting a high technical bar
• Influence engineering practices, tooling, and standards through example and guidance

• Collaborate with product, security, and platform leaders to align technical solutions with mission needs

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
• 12+ years of relevant software engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience leading the design of complex, distributed systems
• Expert proficiency in two or more modern programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, Go, TypeScript)
• Deep understanding of:
  • Service-based or microservice architectures
  • Cloud-native systems and deployment models
  • Software quality, security, and operational best practices
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes and container orchestration:
  • GitOps deployments
  • Service Mesh
  • Role of tools like Helm and Kustomize
• Proven ability to influence technical direction without formal authority
• Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing or integrating AI-enabled or data-driven systems in production
• Experience of working with agentic solutions in Kubernetes:
  • E.g. KServe, KAgent
  • Agent Gateways
  • Agent Registries
  • GPU enabled nodes
• Working in secure or regulated environments
• Background in developer tools, platform modernization, or large-scale system evolution

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:

January 29, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

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.