This is not a maintenance role. This is a reinvention role located in Huntsville, AL.

Leidos is seeking a Software Engineer to contribute to the development of AI-enabled software platforms and developer tools that support modernization of mission-critical systems.

This role is designed for an engineer who can independently deliver features within established architectures, while continuing to grow technical depth under the guidance of senior and principal engineers. The engineer applies sound software engineering judgment, contributes to design discussions at the feature or component level, and produces reliable, maintainable code for production systems.

This is a hands-on engineering role.
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 develop software that underpins critical national missions—aviation, healthcare, energy, and other regulated or safety-critical domains. These systems demand:

High reliability, security, and resilience
Careful modernization of legacy architectures
Responsible application of AI to improve speed and quality without compromising trust
You will help implement and evolve the platforms and tools that enable this modernization, contributing directly to systems that matter.

Why Join Us?
Work on real, mission-critical systems—not experimental demosGain hands-on experience with AI-enabled software in production environments 
Learn from senior and principal engineers while maintaining meaningful ownershipBuild a long-term technical career with a clear and structured growth path

Key Responsibilities
Software Development
Design and implement moderately complex software features within established system architectures
Develop and maintain services, APIs, and supporting components using modern programming languages such as Python, Java, Go, or TypeScript
Write and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure correctness, reliability, and maintainability
Participate actively in code reviews, incorporating feedback and contributing constructive input to peers
AI-Enabled Capabilities (Feature-Level Execution)

Implement AI-enabled features using defined tools, frameworks, and patterns, such as:API-based AI integrations
Prompt-driven or workflow-based AI features
Retrieval- or data-assisted application components
Validate AI-assisted behavior using established testing and review processes
Apply defined AI safety, governance, and review practices
Cloud & Platform Contributions

Contribute to applications deployed in cloud-native environments
Develop and support containerized services and CI/CD pipelines
Troubleshoot and resolve routine application-level and service-level issues
Collaborate with platform and infrastructure teams when deeper system changes are required
Collaboration & Professional Practice

Work as part of an agile delivery team, collaborating with product managers, designers, and other engineers
Participate in design discussions related to features or subsystems
Provide informal technical support to less-experienced engineers
Demonstrate accountability for assigned features from development through deployment

Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field and 8 years of relevant software engineering experience. May consider additional experience in lieu of degree.
Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Python, Java, Go, TypeScript)Experience developing or consuming RESTful APIs or service-based architectures
Experience using Git and standard version control workflows
Working knowledge of software testing practices and CI/CD pipelines
Ability to work independently on defined tasks and features with minimal supervision
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications
Exposure to AI/ML or LLM-based systems through professional experience, projects, or coursework
Familiarity with one or more of the following:
Containers (Docker)Kubernetes concepts
Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)Experience contributing to systems operating in regulated, secure, or high-reliability environments
Interest in developer tools, platform engineering, or software modernization 
 

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:

Pay Range:

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.