Full Stack Software Engineer SME

National Security Sector combines technology-enabled services and mission software capabilities in the areas of cyber, logistics, security operations, and decision analytics to support our defense and intel customers' mission to defend against evolving threats around the world. Our team's focus is to ensure our customers have the right tools, technologies, and tactics to keep pace with an ever-evolving security landscape and succeed in their pursuit to protect people and critical assets.

The Intelligence Production Solutions Division (IPSD), part of the Decision Advantage Solutions Business Area, is seeking a highly experienced, versatile, and visionary Full Stack Software Engineer Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Maru Program.

In this role, you will join our innovative software team, creating next-generation capabilities for GEOINT exploitation and analysis. The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of software engineering expertise, deep understanding of cloud environments, extensive experience in the GEOINT domain, and proven leadership abilities on software projects. This pivotal role involves acting as a day-to-day technical visionary and point-person, guiding the team to consistently deliver meaningful and compelling capabilities. You will be instrumental in architecting and developing cutting-edge solutions, leading technical initiatives, and engaging with diverse stakeholders to drive project success. In addition to leading, this is a hands-on role where you will be expected to write high-quality code and contribute directly to the software development lifecycle.

Position may be performed in the following locations below. Please note Gaithersburg, MD is the primary work location for the program and all candidates will be required to start/ramp-up in Gaithersburg before transitioning to another Leidos location.

• Gaithersburg, MD

• Alexandria, VA
• Chantilly, VA

Clearance Level Required:

Active TS/SCI and successfully pass a Polygraph exam.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Architect and Develop Software: You will be responsible for architecting, designing, and developing robust, scalable, and secure full-stack software applications across diverse platforms (cloud, on-prem, edge), specifically for the GEOINT mission. As a core individual contributor, you will design, develop, and deploy complex distributed systems and highly interactive user interfaces.
• Lead AI/ML and Data Initiatives: Lead the design and implementation of large-scale data management platforms, including AI/ML and Generative AI models, ensuring agnostic deployment capabilities for geospatial image processing. You will also automate analytical workflows using GenAI orchestration and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques.
• Provide Technical Leadership & Hands-On Mentorship: Provide technical leadership, tasking, and mentorship to engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement within an Agile (SAFe) DevSecOps framework. You will set a high technical bar for the team through hands-on code and architecture design reviews.
• Collaborate and Communicate: You will collaborate with project managers, engineering teams, and NGA customers to define requirements and ensure on-time delivery of project deliverables, adhering to NGA Software Way and CORE methodologies. You will regularly present innovative ideas, product demos, and technical solutions to a wide array of audiences, including NGA staff, potential customers, and high-level IC/DoD leadership.
• System Maintenance and Optimization: Perform maintenance, troubleshooting, and improvement of secure cloud environments and mission-critical GEOINT software projects. Drive the adoption of modern industry standards, including GitOps (Argo CD/ Fleet) for build and deployment processes and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

Basic Qualifications:

• ship is required per contract.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field and 12-15 years of prior relevant experience or Master's with 10-13 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience: Proven experience in designing, developing, and maintaining complex applications and leading technical initiatives. Must have at least 5-7 years of professional experience as both a hands-on developer and technical leader.
• Cloud & Software Engineering: Extensive experience architecting, deploying, and maintaining distributed systems and cloud environments, particularly AWS (commercial, gov cloud, secure environments). You must be proficient with Kubernetes/Microservice-based architecture (e.g., OpenShift, EKS, Docker), managed services, and large-scale processing environments (e.g. Hadoop/Spark/MapReduce)
• Languages and Frameworks: Expertise in common object-oriented and scripting languages, with primary skills in Java, Python, and JavaScript (React, Angular). Experience with OpenLayers, Cesium, SQL, Git, and GitLab CI/CD pipelines is also required.
• Geospatial Analytics: Proven experience with geospatial image processing platforms and analytics.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a track record of tackling complex challenges in a fast-paced environment
• Team Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment and contribute to a positive and productive work culture.
• Continuous Learning: A passion for continuous learning and staying current with emerging technologies and industry best practices.
• Mentorship: Previous experience mentoring junior engineers and leading code reviews to ensure high-quality standards.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced AI/ML Experience: A strong mathematical background and extensive AI/ML and Data Science experience, particularly with TensorFlow. Experience in modeling dynamical systems, developing novel modeling techniques, and applying Agentic AI for workflow automation is highly valued.
• Data Visualization: Skills in creating dynamic, highly interactive dashboards and visualizations that can handle massive, real-time datasets. This includes strong skills in GIS, Mapping, and Data Visualization, with experience in 3D visualization using technologies like ArcGIS, Cesium, React, Angular, Deck.gl, D3.js, Plotly.js, OpenGL, WebGL, NgRx, Redux, Zustand, Recoil, and Three.js.
• Geospatial Knowledge: Knowledge of GEOINT data formats (e.g., NITF, GeoTIFF, Shapefiles, KML), Ostandards (e.g., WFS/WMTS), and NSG systems.
• Leadership and Ideation: Experience in research and development, driving ideation to proof-of-concept models within the GEOINT domain. Experience with team management, planning, and mentorship is preferred.
• DevSecOps Ecosystem: Demonstrated working knowledge DevSecOps ecosystems, including methodologies and tools (Jira, Confluence, GitLab, Kong, Nexus, SonarQube, Fortify, Wormhole, OpenShift).

At Leidos, we don't want someone who "fits the mold"-we want someone who melts it down and builds something better. This is a role for the restless, the over-caffeinated, the ones who ask, "what's next?" before the dust settles on "what's now."

If you're already scheming step 20 while everyone else is still debating step 2... good. You'll fit right in.

Original Posting:
August 21, 2025
At Leidos, we don't want someone who "fits the mold"-we want someone who melts it down and builds something better. This is a role for the restless, the over-caffeinated, the ones who ask, "what's next?" before the dust settles on "what's now."

If you're already scheming step 20 while everyone else is still debating step 2... good. You'll fit right in.

Pay Range:
Pay Range $126,100.00 - $227,950.00

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.