Senior Director of Application Modernization

Leidos’ Digital Modernization Practice Area is seeking a dynamic and visionary Senior Director of Application Modernization at our Leidos Headquarters in Reston, VA.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Senior Director of Application Modernization will lead the creation, execution, and continuous improvement of an Application Modernization Factory (App Mod Factory) focused on software development, cloud migration, and other application modernization initiatives. This role will unify and scale existing application modernization efforts, integrating legacy transformation initiatives with forward-looking digital modernization capabilities to accelerate delivery across the enterprise, both internally to the corporation and to our government and commercial customers.  The role will be responsible for creating an organization leveraging both existing and new teams capable of delivering App Mod solutions across the Digital Modernization Sector and our many customers, and Leidos as a whole, designing and implementing a new organizational structure to drive consistent, scalable modernization outcomes. The leader will operate at the intersection of strategy, delivery, and innovation—building a modernization ecosystem that leverages cloud-native architectures, automation, low-code/no-code platforms, and AI-enabled engineering to achieve mission outcomes.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT:
Public Trust with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance. (US Citizenship required)
 
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Define and execute the strategic vision for the Application Modernization Factory aligned with Practice Area objectives and Leidos’ Digital Modernization strategy.
Develop a modernization roadmap integrating cloud migration, DevSecOps, Everything-as-Code (EaC), and low-code/no-code delivery paradigms.
Partner with senior executives, solution architects, and business units to establish modernization goals, standards, and repeatable delivery patterns.

Organizational Design and Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and expand a cross-functional organization of software engineers, cloud architects, application modernization SMEs, UX experts, and delivery managers
• Evaluate current team capabilities, implement an optimized operating model, and build new teams and leadership layers as needed.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture emphasizing innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage resource allocation, hiring, performance, and professional development to scale modernization capacity.

Solution Development and Delivery Excellence

• Oversee the design and delivery of modernization solutions leveraging cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, API-led integration, and containerization (Kubernetes, Docker) to internal and external customers
• Drive adoption of Agile, DevSecOps, and CI/CD methodologies to enable scalable and secure software delivery.
• Champion reusable frameworks and accelerators that form the foundation of the App Mod Factory’s repeatable offerings.
• Ensure all modernization initiatives comply with Leidos’ security, compliance, and governance standards.

Client and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal and external stakeholders on modernization strategies, platform selection, and enterprise transformation.
• Collaborate with capture and growth teams to align modernization capabilities with customer mission objectives.
• Represent the App Mod Factory in executive briefings, proposal efforts, and technical demonstrations.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Integrate AI/ML, automation, and platform engineering practices to continuously improve delivery speed and quality.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and modernization frameworks to ensure the organization remains at the cutting edge.
• Direct internal R&D and innovation initiatives to prototype and adopt next-generation modernization tools and processes.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• 12+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, cloud modernization, or digital transformation, with 5+ years in technical or delivery leadership roles overseeing large-scale modernization initiatives.
• Proven experience managing large, multi-disciplinary engineering teams (30+ personnel) across concurrent projects for government customers
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing modernization frameworks, factory models, or platform-based delivery environments.