Engineering Program Manager

Leidos is seeking an Engineering Program Manager (EPM) to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP). L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation platform built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture, enabling next-generation air traffic management capabilities. As a second-line engineering manager, you will serve as the matrix leader for engineering management across an Agile Release Train of approximately 110 personnel — managing the People Managers who lead engineering teams, and owning workforce planning, organizational design, and engineering talent strategy for your ART. You report to the Chief Engineering Program Manager. We are building with an AI-first engineering mindset, embracing emerging AI capabilities and modern development practices to accelerate delivery, improve software quality, and continuously evolve how we design and build mission-critical systems. This position supports government programs and requires the ability to obtain andmaintaina favorable Public Trust investigation.This role is part of a growing program, and hiring will depend on available funding. We review applications on a rolling basis, but the timeline for interviews and offers may vary. In some cases, we may extendcontingent offersthat become active once funding is confirmed.This position is located inGaithersburg, MD; Egg Harbor Township, NJ; or Eagan, MN. This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that impact millions of air travelers.This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days remote work. Candidates should reside a commutable distance to one of the above locations.What You'll DoServe as second-line engineering manager for an ART of ~110 personnel, directly managing 4–6 People Managers who lead engineering teamsOwn workforce planning and organizational design for the ART including team structure, headcount allocation, and skill mix optimizationDrive engineering staffing decisions including hiring priorities, requisition development, and candidate selection governanceManage engineering talent pipeline ensuring the ARTmaintainsadequate bench strength, succession depth, and critical-skill coverageOversee career development strategy for engineering managers, ensuring People Managers are equipped to grow andretaintheir teamsGovern performance management across the ART — calibrate ratings, align recognition, and ensureequitableevaluation standardsMake cross-team resource allocation and rotation decisions to balance workload, develop talent, and address skill gapsPartner with the RTE and ART Product Manager on capacity planning, ensuring staffing aligns with delivery prioritiesOwn engineering headcount budget and labor forecasting for the ART, coordinating with program finance on variance and projectionsDrive retention strategy including compensation alignment, engagement initiatives, and attrition risk mitigationManage organizational change including team restructuring, role transitions, and onboarding/offboarding of engineering personnelAlign engineering workforce composition with modernization priorities ensuring critical skill sets are developed andretainedas legacyexpertisetransitions to cloud-native competenciesDevelop workforce transition plans supporting engineering personnel reskilling from legacy ATC systems to modern distributed service architecturesCoordinate engineering resource strategy across ART boundaries ensuring program-wide workforce balance and avoiding single-point-of-failure dependenciesChampion an AI-first engineering culture byidentifyingand applying AI-assisted development capabilities, automation, and emerging software engineering practices that improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, and delivery.Core Technical Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of engineering management experience including 3+ years as a second-line manager (managing managers)Demonstrated experience building, scaling, and retaining engineering organizations of 75+ personnel in a matrixed environmentWorkforce planningexpertiseincluding headcount forecasting, skill gap analysis, and organizational designEngineering talent acquisition governance including requisition strategy, interview processes, and hiring decisionsPerformance management at scale including calibration, promotion governance, and compensation planningExperience managing engineering managers and developing management capability within technical organizationsResource allocation and capacity management across multiple concurrent engineering teamsBudget management including labor cost forecasting, variance analysis, and headcount planningEffective stakeholder management across program leadership, HR business partners, and talent acquisitionAbility to obtain andmaintaina Public Trust clearance; US citizenshiprequired; subject to government background investigationExperience managing workforce transitions in software-intensive modernization programs including skill migration and team restructuringUnderstanding of engineering competency frameworks and career ladder design for software and systems engineering disciplines​Ability to obtain and maintain a Public TrustU.S. citizenship requiredSuccessful completion of background investigations as required by the government customerPreferred / Desired QualificationsAviation, FAA, or defense sector engineering management experienceSAFeor Agile organizational leadership experience (Lean Portfolio Management, Agile HR)Experience leading engineering organizations through technology transformation (legacy to cloud-native)Technical background in software or systems engineering providing credibility with engineering staffTalent development program design including mentoring frameworks, rotation programs, and technical leadership pipelinesMatrix organization leadership with influence across functional and delivery boundariesExperience with engineering workforce analytics, retention modeling, and engagement measurementFamiliarity with government contract staffing constraints including labor category alignment and clearance requirementsWhy Leidos?You’ll work on systems where performance, precision, and reliability matter — every second. This is not experimental AI for prototypes. This is disciplined, responsible AI applied to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure.If you’re excited by solving complex problems in regulated, real-world environments — and using AI as a force multiplier rather than a shortcut — we’d like to talk.ATMCIf 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:August 21, 2026For 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 $131,300.00 - $237,350.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand 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.SummaryLocation: Gaithersburg, MD; Eagan, MN; Egg Harbor Township, NJType: Full time