Systems Engineering Undergraduate Intern

Join Leidos’ mission-focused engineering team and deliver 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. This is your chance to work alongside industry-leading experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and multi-modal information retrieval.
Leidos is looking for a curious and enthusiastic Systems Engineer Intern to join our team in Arlington, VA supporting our national security customer. You’ll work side-by-side with system/software engineers and research/data scientists to help evolve a production platform that combines microservices , data search & analytics , and machine learning services . This is a great role if you enjoy translating real user needs into clear technical requirements, improving processes, and building the engineering documentation that turns ideas into delivered capability.
Research and evaluate technologies to improve performance, usability, reliability, and maintainability
Support system design and architecture efforts for a platform that includes:
multiple ML-enabled services
Produce high-quality engineering artifacts such as SysML/UML diagrams and design notes
Contribute to an iterative delivery environment by communicating progress, risks, and dependencies clearly
Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Systems Engineering or related field
Citizen eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance. Exposure to Agile / Lean-Agile practices
Familiarity with the software development lifecycle and/or DevOps concepts
Ability to obtain /maintain DoD Top Secret security clearance with polygraph.
Hybrid: 4 days on-site, 1 day remote per week.
~8–10 week internship, target start May/June 2026.

Learn from a diverse team of engineers, data scientists and other professionals building mission-critical systems.
Mentorship, tech talks, and intern cohort events to accelerate your growth.
Real impact: contribute to R&D and production systems supporting customers.
Share a link to your GitHub/portfolio and briefly describe a project you’re proud of (what you built, technologies used, and your role).
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.