Lead Security Engineer

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Lead Security Engineer in our Intel Sector's Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management. At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including Paid Time Off, 11 paid Holidays, 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting, Flexible Schedules, Discounted Stock Purchase Plans, Technical Upskilling, Education and Training Support, Parental Paid Leave, and much more. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

Job Summary

Leidos is seeking a Lead Security Engineer to join a high-impact, multi-agency program serving the United States Space Force (USSF) / Space Systems Command (SSC), the United States Air Force (USAF), and other critical mission stakeholders. The selected individual will play key role in enhancing, testing, and deploying a large-scale Satellite Communications (SATCOM) system to an existing infrastructure. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in public key infrastructure (PKI) and key management, excels at complex problem solving, and has a strong record of delivering results as part of a high-performing team in a fast-paced Agile Development environment. This position offers a unique opportunity to enhance the resilience and cybersecurity of mission-critical communications that protect our nation.

Join a team where your "greatest work" isn't just a slogan-it's our daily standard.

• This position is based near Columbia, Maryland, with possible alternative duty locations in San Diego, California, Englewood, Colorado, or Huntsville, Alabama. Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.

The Lead Systems Engineer is responsible for the overall security architecture, ensuring all security requirements are defined, implemented, and verified. She/he oversees all security engineering activities for a complex network environment with geographically distributed systems. The selected individual will manage a team of Information Systems Security Officers (ISSOs) and Information Systems Security Engineers (ISSEs), providing technical leadership and direction to meet program security requirements. She/he will mentor the team in sound information systems security engineering practices, play a key role in system testing, and work closely with other engineers and technical experts to enhance operational, test, integration, and development environments. Responsibilities include obtaining and maintaining Authorizations to Operate (ATOs) for all System Security Plans (SSPs) and ensuring ongoing compliance with Secure the Enterprise/Secure the Network (STE/STN) requirements.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Serving as a security subject matter expert (SME), providing guidance and oversight for the end-to-end security architecture.
• Engaging with multiple system owners across multiple networks to interpret, negotiate, and refine system and security requirements.
• Defining and driving security strategy, including risk assessment and management, security control assessment, continuous monitoring, service design, and broader cybersecurity program support.
• Identifying and analyzing security issues across complex, highly integrated systems and environments, and develop clear, actionable remediation recommendations.
• Designing, developing, and executing static and dynamic application security testing, as well as penetration testing activities.
• Partnering with development teams to improve understanding of vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and effective remediation techniques.
• Leading and mentoring program security engineers in day-to-day security engineering activities.
• Collaborating with the program security team to ensure STE/STN and continuous monitoring requirements are met for Test, Integration, and Development environments.
• Clearly articulating program security requirements, risks, and compliance challenges to multiple customer points of contact.
• Coordinating with internal cross-functional teams to plan, prioritize, and execute remediation and other security-related activities.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology, Information Assurance, or related field, and at least 12 years of relevant experience. Additional experience may be substituted for a degree.
• At least 10 years of experience leading diverse Security Engineering teams including ISSO and ISSE teams.
• At least 5 years of experience working on an Agile program in a leadership role.
• Extensive hands-on experience with modern security tools; hardware and software security implementation; communication protocols; encryption technologies; and web services.
• Current active CISSP certification. * In-depth understanding of security vulnerabilities and remediation techniques, including risk assessment, risk management, and security strategy/design.
• Extensive experience formulating, implementing, and assessing IT security policy.
• Solid understanding of ATOs, SSPs, and STE/STN requirements.
• Direct experience collaborating with software developers, software testers, and integration, deployment, and sustainment teams.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to clearly convey program requirements and system compliance challenges to multiple customer stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multiple internal teams for planning and remediation activities.
• Solutions-oriented team player with a high level of self-initiative.

Clearance Required

U.S. Citizenship with an Active or Current TS/SCI with Polygraph required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with or in military Satellite Communications (SATCOM) organizations such as United States Air Force (USAF), United States Space Force (USSF), or another Agency.
• Experience working with Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)/ key management programs and technologies.
• Certified Scrum Master certification.
• Experience in performing STIG analysis and remediation.
• At least twelve years of experience with defense-in-depth principals/technology (including access control, authorization, identification and authentication, public key infrastructure, network and enterprise security architecture) and applying risk assessment methodology to system development.
• Experience developing/implementing integrated security services management processes, such as assessing and auditing network penetration tests, anti-virus planning assistance, risk analysis, and incident response.
• Experience developing/implementing integrated security services management processes, such as assessing and auditing network penetration tests, anti-virus planning assistance, risk analysis, and incident response.
• Experience providing information assurance support for application development that includes system security certifications and project evaluations for firewalls that encompass the development, design, and implementation.

At Leidos, the opportunities are boundless. We challenge our staff with interesting assignments that allow them to thrive professionally and personally. For us, helping you grow your career is good business. We look forward to learning more about you - apply today.

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:
March 13, 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 $131,300.00 - $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.