Senior Systems Engineer - Gaithersburg

Leidos is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer / Product Owner to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector located in either Gaithersburg, MD or Eagan, MN, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP). · L-CAP is a mission-critical ...

Job description

Leidos is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer / Product Owner to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector located in either Gaithersburg, MD or Eagan, MN, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP).

L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation solution built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture.

As a member of a large-scale, Scaled Agile software development organization, you will play a central role in shaping next-generation air traffic automation capabilities by bridging mission needs, systems engineering rigor, and Agile software delivery.

In this role, you will serve as the Product Owner for one or more Agile teams, while also acting as the primary Systems Engineer supporting those teams.

You will work closely with the Chief Product Owner on system-level design, requirements, and product vision, and partner with the team architect to ensure solutions are technically sound, traceable, and aligned with safety and regulatory constraints.

This position is intended for experienced practitioners who can balance innovation with discipline in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment.

Hybrid Schedule is 3 days onsite and 2 days remote.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering Leadership

Lead systems engineering activities across the full lifecycle, including requirements definition, architecture, integration, verification, and validation
Own and govern system and capability-level requirements, ensuring traceability to mission needs and program objectives as well as verification planning within an Agile delivery framework
Partner with system and solution architects on architecture runway, trade studies, and technical decision-making
Identify, assess, and manage cross-team technical risks, dependencies, and constraints
Provide technical oversight during integration, test, and operational readiness activities
Ensure systems engineering best practices are applied consistently across teams

Product Ownership & Strategy

Serve as Product Owner (or Lead PO) for major system components or value streams
Own and prioritize capability- and feature-level backlogs, balancing mission value, technical risk, and delivery capacity
Translate complex system requirements into clear, actionable epics, features, and user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria

Actively participate in Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring engineering intent and mission value are clearly represented.

Utilize AI-assisted tools and large language model (LLM) platforms to augment requirements analysis, backlog refinement, design exploration, and documentation, while ensuring human oversight and validation.

Act as a primary liaison between stakeholders, engineering teams, and program leadership
Create and maintain systems engineering artifacts, including requirements documentation, interface control documents (ICDs), architecture views, and verification matrices.
Influence product roadmap decisions and sequencing based on technical and delivery insights

Agile & Team Leadership

Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members on systems thinking, requirements quality, and Agile best practices.
Promote Agile and SAFe best practices across teams and value streams
Support dependency management and alignment across Agile teams and release trains

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience)
12+ years of related experience or 10+ years of experience with a Master's degree
Experience in systems engineering, product ownership, or related technical leadership roles
Demonstrated experience leading systems engineering efforts on complex, software-intensive programs
Strong experience working in Agile environments (SAFe)
Proven ability to translate mission or business objectives into prioritized technical and product backlogs
Experience collaborating with architects, engineering leads, and program leadership
Proficiency with Agile and requirements management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Cameo, Jama, or similar)
Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance
US citizenship is required

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

Experience serving as a Product Owner or Lead Product Owner in a SAFe environment
Familiarity with SAFe practices, including PI planning, ART coordination, and dependency management
Experience with distributed, cloud-based, or data-intensive systems
Knowledge of event-driven architectures (Kafka or similar)
Air Traffic domain knowledge or experience supporting Air Traffic or transportation-related systems.
Experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases
Familiarity with DevSecOps and CI/CD pipelines in regulated environments
Experience with AI-enabled or advanced automation systems
Agile certifications (CSPO, SAFe POPM)

Additional Requirements

Successful completion of a government background investigation

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

February 18, 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 $131, $237,350.00

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.

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

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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.