Lead Systems Engineer

Looking for an opportunity to make an impact? At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. Your greatest work is ahead! Leidos’ Defense Systems Land Systems is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to join a team developing a interceptor system, where this Lead Systems Engineer will supervise the technical work of other systems engineers and manage the output/report on progress of up to five other individuals to Program Leadership. The Lead Systems Engineer will ensure that systems engineering effort is within budget and that Systems Engineering objectives are achieved. This Lead Systems Engineer will develop and manage systems engineering artifacts, including Requirements Specifications, Verification Plans, Verification Results, and SE-related action item tracking/burndown. Additionally, this Lead Systems Engineer will serve as a technical liaison with customer representatives. This position is highly visible to assist in delivering new capability for an innovative and revolutionary sensor system. The Lead Systems Engineer will work in a matrixed organization, which supports multiple programs at once in a variety of engineering fields with all different team environments. When the interceptor program ends, the Lead Systems Engineer will have the opportunity to support a different program in the matrixed engineering portfolio. A candidate with interceptor system development experience, as well as experience in other systems engineering areas such as Model-Based Systems Engineering, Safety Engineering, and Reliability Analysis will be treated preferentially. However, a strong background in traditional systems engineering and technical leadership is what is required for this position. If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading! Leidos Defense Systems Sector provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions. To explore and learn more, click here! Are you ready to make an impact? Share your resume with us today! Basic Qualifications.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent degree from an ABET-accredited university with 8+ years of experience or an MS with 6+ years.
• Experience in deriving and managing requirements for complex electrical, electro-mechanical, mechanical, and software systems.
• Experience creating verification and test plans, and coordinating system integration and test activities to support verification of system level requirements.
• Basic understanding of interceptor systems
• Experience leading cross-discipline and product teams
• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating within a team environment, including leading and conducting Technical Design Reviews
• Resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville - North Alabama, AL area.
• Active DoD Secret clearance. (U.S. Citizenship is required)

Preferred Qualifications. Preference shown to candidates who possess a Master of Science in System Engineering from an ABET-accredited university. Preferred candidates will also have experience and/or working knowledge with:

• Requirements management tools, such as DOORS, JAMA, or Cameo/MagicDraw.
• Demonstrated experience effectively leading a team of engineers.
• Demonstrated experience accurately estimating the engineering effort (i.e. hours) associated with Systems Engineering tasks.
• Understanding of the DoD acquisition processes and methods
• Experience supporting one or more DoD programs
• Object Management Group (OMG) Certified System Modeler Professional (OCSMP) certification
• INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional (SEP) certification (ASEP or CSEP)

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: July 24, 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 $107,900.00 - $195,050.00 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.