Principal Software Engineer TS/SCI Polygraph at Leidos in Hanover, MD

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Principal Software Engineer in our National Security Sector's (NSS) Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management.

At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including Paid Time Off, 11 paid Holidays, 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting, Flexible Schedules, Discounted Stock Purchase Plans, Technical Upskilling, Education and Training Support, Parental Paid Leave, and much more. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

The Principal Software Engineer will serve as technical anchor for a new feature/capability being added to our product. Ideal candidate will be able to architect/design a new feature and translate complex business requirements into robust, documented technical designs. Responsibilities will include coordinating closely with members of an Integrated Feature Team (IFT) to ensure high-quality delivery through the lifecycle. This role requires an active/current TS/SCI Polygraph up front.

Key Responsibilities

• Architectural Analysis & Design: Deconstruct complex requirements to determine system impact. You will lead the creation of design documentation using Object-Oriented (OO) principles, ensuring new features integrate seamlessly without technical debt.
• Technical Shepherding: Act as the feature lead for a new capability. You are responsible for the "definition of done," guiding a feature from initial concept through development, testing, and deployment.
• Cross-Team Coordination: Serve as the technical liaison to the Systems Engineering team to align on approach and constraints.
• Team Leadership & Tasking: Decompose high-level feature designs into actionable tasks for the development team. Manage feature status to leadership and mentor junior/mid-level peers.
• Quality Assurance: Conduct rigorous merge request (MR) reviews to maintain code standards, security protocols, and performance benchmarks.

Basic Qualifications

• TS/SCI Clearance with polygraph
• Bachelor's Degree or higher in computer engineering or in a field related to the computer engineering or computer science disciplines is required. Requires Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 18 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 15 years of prior relevant experience or Doctorate with 13 years of prior relevant experience.
• Expert in Java (17+ preferred), the Spring Boot ecosystem, SOLID principles, OO design patterns, and REST interface standards/best practices.
• Strong communicator with the ability to facilitate cross-team collaboration and clearly convey architecture and design concepts through both oral and written communication.
• Skilled in developing technical documentation (including wiki sites, blogs, and XML/HTML content) and mentoring junior to mid-level software development peers.

Desired Skillsets:

• Strong experience with MongoDB Data Architecture (schema design, indexing, and aggregation).
• Proficiency in Docker for local development and CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes orchestration and the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) for system monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Experience in PKI/TLS/SSL certificates
• Knowledge of ICAM Capabilities and Integration
• Familiarity using Confluence and Jira
• Strong organization and time management skills, including the ability to multi-task and work independently with minimum supervision to meet deadlines

At Leidos, the opportunities are boundless. We challenge our staff with interesting assignments that allow them to thrive professionally and personally. For us, helping you grow your career is good business. We look forward to learning more about you – apply today

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:

May 20, 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 $154,050.00 - $278,475.00

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.