Description
Are you interested in playing in the gray space of Research and Development and the delivery of secure and scalable production-quality reusable software? If so, we are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Principal Software Engineer with a strong background in production software delivery and formal methods, including formal modeling, verification, specification, and analysis. The ideal candidate will play a critical role in improving the quality, cybersecurity, and resiliency of software delivered into critical mission systems across the Leidos portfolio.
Key Responsibilities:
- Drive the transition and adoption of cutting-edge software verification technologies into large scale industrial use.
- Identify opportunities where formal verification can better meet customer needs and develop practical verification approaches.
- Lead the design, development, and deployment of secure and resilient software systems in a reusable and scalable way for the Leidos enterprise.
- Apply formal methods to specify, verify, and analyze software to ensure correctness and security.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to opportunistically integrate formal verification techniques into the software development lifecycle.
- Partner with Cyber experts to conduct threat modeling, security assessments, and vulnerability analysis to identify and mitigate risks, and to prove formally the security of delivered software.
- Develop and maintain documentation for reusable software capabilities including specifications, verification plans, security protocols, and usage and basic training prerequisites.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers on formal methods and cybersecurity best practices.
- Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in formal methods and cybersecurity.
- Conduct analysis of alternatives and SWOT-style evaluations of emerging and new technologies to quickly identify potential value.
- Collaborate to help identify, down-select, and vet potential external technologies partners by performing quick-turn proofs of concept and capability integrations.
Qualifications:
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field and 15+ years relevant experience. Bachelor's degree and additional years experience may be used in lieu of a degree.
- Minimum of 8 years of experience in production software delivery.
- Proven expertise in formal methods, including formal verification, specification, and analysis.
- Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, threat modeling, and vulnerability assessment.
- Proficiency in programming languages such as C, C++, Java, or Python.
- Experience with formal verification tools and techniques (e.g., model checking, theorem proving).
- Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance
- US Citizenship is required for this position.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with formal methods tools such as Lean and Isabelle/HO SPIN, TLA+, Rocq, or Z3.
- Additional memory-safe software language experience a plus (Rust, Go, etc.)
- Knowledge of secure coding practices and standards.
- Familiarity with software development methodologies such as Agile or DevOps.
- Certifications in cybersecurity (e.g., CISSP, CEH) are a plus.
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:
July 30, 2025
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 $154,050.00 - $278,475.00
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 www.Leidos.com.
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 www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.
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 LeidosCareersFraud@leidos.com.
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.
#Remote
