Principal AI Software Developer

Leidos is seeking a Senior Software Engineer with AI-enabled development experience based in Gaithersburg, MD; Eagan, MN; or Egg Harbor, NJ to support the UK National Airspace System Replacement Product Delivery Team (UK NASR PDT)

This role offers the opportunity to work on real-time, safety-critical systems that directly support national air traffic operations for the United Kingdom. You will help modernize a high-availability air traffic management platform using both traditional systems engineering practices and AI-augmented software development techniques.

This is a hybrid schedule with 3 days onsite and 2 days remote.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, test, and maintain software for real-time, high-availability systems

• Apply AI-assisted development tools to accelerate coding, refactoring, debugging, and automated test generation

• Use AI responsibly across the full SDLC — including requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, documentation, and code review

• Analyze complex system requirements and translate them into efficient, maintainable designs

• Develop and maintain automation scripts across development, test, and production environments

• Promote code quality, reuse, traceability, and cross-team collaboration

Required Qualifications

AI-Driven Engineering Experience

We are specifically seeking engineers who actively integrate AI into their daily development workflow.

• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar) for:

  • Code generation and refactoring

  • Debugging and automated test creation

  • IDE-integrated workflows

• Familiarity with large language model platforms (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, etc.)

• Experience designing effective prompts and validating AI-generated output

• Understanding of human-in-the-loop development and responsible AI usage

• Ability to evaluate AI-generated outputs for correctness, performance, safety, and bias — especially in regulated or safety-critical environments

• Experience incorporating AI/ML techniques into software engineering workflows

• Experience with automated testing frameworks

Core Technical Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field with 12+ years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience

• Strong object-oriented programming experience

• Proficiency in C, C++, and/or Ada (Ada preferred but not required)

• Experience developing real-time, multi-threaded systems

• Familiarity with Linux (Red Hat), virtual machines, and hypervisors

• Experience with low-level communications protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, SCTP)

• Experience with hardware or complex system integration

• Experience with source control and configuration management tools

• Strong communication skills and ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance

• US citizenship required

Why Leidos

You’ll work on systems where performance, precision, and reliability matter — every second. This is not experimental AI for prototypes. This is disciplined, responsible AI applied to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure.

If you’re excited by solving complex problems in regulated, real-world environments — and using AI as a force multiplier rather than a shortcut — we’d like to talk.

ATMC

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 24, 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