Software Engineer Intern

Description

Join Leidos' mission-focused engineering team and build real software that powers data analytics, computer vision, and AI capabilities for national security customers. At Leidos, we don't just offer internships - we offer career acceleration. You'll ship code, learn from experienced engineers and researchers, and see your work used in production.

Primary Responsibilities

• Build and enhance software prototypes, APIs, and microservices that support data analytics, machine learning, and user-facing applications.
• Contribute across the stack: user interfaces and back-end services.
• Write clean, maintainable code with tests; troubleshoot and fix issues.
• Participate in design sessions, code reviews, and agile ceremonies.
• Research and evaluate new technologies; present findings and recommendations.
• Collaborate with software/system engineers and research/data scientists in areas like multi-modal information retrieval, UI engineering, metrics, computer vision, and autonomous systems.

Basic Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, or a closely related field.
• Experience in at least one of: Python, Java, or C++.
• Must be U.S. Citizen
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. Leidos will guide you through the clearance process.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building prototypes or applications (class, club, hackathon, research, or personal projects).
• Exposure to data engineering or analytics: data cleansing, transformation, feature engineering, or exploratory analysis.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following:
  • Tools: Git/GitHub, VS Code or similar IDEs, Jupyter Notebooks.
  • Backend: REST APIs, microservices, SQL (PostgreSQL/MySQL), containerization (Docker), basic Linux.
  • Frontend: JavaScript/TypeScript, React or similar.
  • Data/ML: NumPy/Pandas, scikit-learn; plus for PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • Cloud and CI/CD: AWS/Azure basics, build pipelines.
• Interest in secure software development practices.
• Familiarity with Rust
• Ability to obtain /maintain Top Secret security clearance with polygraph.

Work location and schedule

• Arlington, VA. Hybrid: 4 days on-site, 1 day remote per week.
• 8-10 week internship, target start May/June 2027.

You'll thrive in this role if you are

• Curious and adaptive-comfortable learning new domains and asking good questions
• Organized and self-directed, while still highly collaborative
• Confident communicating your needs and working as an active team member

How to stand out

• Share a link to your GitHub/portfolio and briefly describe a project you're proud of (what you built, technologies used, and your role).
• If team-based, clarify your individual contributions.

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:October 6, 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 $48,100.00 - $86,950.00

The 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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos' name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at View email address on click.appcast.io.

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.