Lead Systems Engineer

Company: Leidos
Location: Gaithersburg
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

Leidos’ Homeland – Air Traffic helps the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and international providers of air traffic systems modernize infrastructure, systems and security. We are a trusted partner of the Federal Aviation Administration and highly-regulated international customers looking for transformative solutions to mission critical operations. Our customers take on the toughest challenges out there to make our world safer and more efficient. Leidos is seeking a Systems Engineer who will be a member of a dynamic team working on the Federal Aviation Administration’s En-Route Automation Modernization ERAM) technology, which is the heart of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and the pulse of the National Airspace System helping to advance our transition from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management. ERAM is vital to the future of air navigation, providing the foundational platform required for FAA to enable NextGen solutions, via modernization programs included within the Enroute Automation Technical Refresh Portfolio (EA TRP). Location: Gaithersburg Responsibilities: Design and develop architectural and systems solutions white papers. Lead and coordinate process and baseline updates to requirements and architectural diagrams. Track and report execution status, generating detailed reports and artifact packages for stakeholders and clients. Perform systems requirements analysis, functional analysis, timeline analysis, trade studies, requirements allocation and interface definition, technical management, integration, system testing, and quality assurance. Develop technical solutions, prepare trade studies when required, decompose the solution into system-level and software requirements. Author white papers that document problems/enhancements, recommended solution(s), and technical implementation specifications. Conduct feasibility studies, prototypes and risk assessments to determine optimal system design solutions Create and maintain detailed system design documentation, including specifications, diagrams, and interface definitions Facilitate planning meetings, peer reviews, and customer-facing sessions to align on objectives and schedules. Collaborate with developers, integrators, and schedulers to ensure schedules are in alignment with project timelines. Support the development and updating of systems engineering documentation, such as requirements verification matrices and architectural design documents. Support analysis of customer problem reports (and enhancement requests). Work directly with the FAA customers to ensure a valid understanding of issues (or requested enhancements) and need(s). Support the validation and verification of system designs. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure seamless integration of hardware, software, and network components. Identify opportunities for system improvements and drive the implementation of best practices in design and integration. Support project planning and estimation activities related to systems design and integration tasks. Ensure compliance with relevant industry standards, safety regulations, and quality assurance processes. Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in engineering, computer science discipline with 6 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 4 years of prior relevant experience. Experience with full software development life cycle including defining customer requirements, integration, test, and deployment. Ability to obtain an SF-85P Public Trust clearance from the FAA customer. Familiar with Model Based System Engineering, Waterfall and Agile practices. Experience leading and directing activities of a team. Strong communication skills to interface with internal and external customers. Air Traffic Knowledge and experience working on Air Traffic programs. Experience with conducting technical reviews with a government agency / customer. Desired Skills: Background and experience on FAA or international air traffic control programs. Familiarity with the National Air Space and FAA NextGen Air Traffic control programs. The successful candidate will possess advanced leadership skills and the ability to work independently. A good academic understanding and/or exposure to system engineering practices to contribute to and/or assist with system integration, requirements engineering, operational and decision analysis, systems definition, requirements baseline control and management. Highly organized, demonstrating the ability to work independently at times due to fast-paced and highly productive work environment. Virtualization (VMWare/VCF, KVM, OpenShift, Docker, etc.). Network Attached Storage (NetApp, NFS). Cloud Hosting (AWS). 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: March 19, 2026 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 $87,100.00 - $157,450.00 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.

Keywords: Leidos, Charlottesville , Lead Systems Engineer, Engineering , Gaithersburg, Virginia