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Leidos

Builds technology for defense and civil agencies

Real-Time Software Engineer

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/22/2026
$107.9k - $195.1k
Senior, Expert
Bachelor's, Master's
Arlington County, Arlington, VA, USA
In PersonSupports system field testing and collection events, usually about a week once or twice a year.
Software EngineeringEmbedded Engineering
No H1B Sponsorship
US Top Secret Clearance Required

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline, and 8 or more years of software development experience, including strong experience programming in Python, MATLAB, or C++.
  • Strong understanding of object-oriented design.
  • Basic understanding of hardware-software interaction and basic computer architecture.
  • Experience with hardware interfaces such as PCIe, UART, and Ethernet.
  • Experience with build tools such as GCC, CMake, or Make.
  • Experience using version control such as Git or Subversion and continuous integration tools such as Jenkins.
  • Experience with software testing tools and methodology.
  • Experience creating and maintaining technical documentation for developed software.
  • Ability to communicate and share ideas, concepts, and designs with a team of engineers.
  • Demonstrated ability and motivation to continually learn new technical skills and concepts.
  • Understanding of unit test frameworks and test-driven development practices.
  • Must have an active Secret clearance and be eligible to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.
Responsibilities
  • Contribute to the design and development of advanced systems as part of multidisciplinary teams, including software team members and subject matter experts in systems engineering, hardware, firmware, machine learning, RF front-end design, and signal processing.
  • Design, implement, and test real-time C/C++ software for multicore systems running Linux or real-time operating systems such as VxWorks.
  • Build software products that use third-party mathematics and communication libraries.
  • Interface with communication standards and protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, and DDS.
  • Read and understand signal-processing algorithms written in MATLAB.
  • Work with the Linux operating system and real-time operating systems.
  • Design, implement, and test software to configure and control RF hardware devices.
  • Integrate software into third-party software frameworks and architectures such as Redhawk.
  • Document developed systems.
  • Support system field testing and collection events, usually about a week in duration once or twice a year.
Desired Qualifications
  • A master's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent, with 6 or more years of experience.
  • An active security clearance higher than the Secret level.
  • Ability to debug embedded systems using tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
  • Experience maintaining, tracking, and updating tickets or status using GitLab or a similar interface.
  • Experience using common scripting languages such as Bash.

About the company

Leidos develops technology and runs services for defense, intelligence and civilian agencies, as well as healthcare and commercial customers. It combines software and engineering work with systems integration, building secure networks and equipment used in demanding operations. Its portfolio includes medical services, energy infrastructure design and technology that supports military missions, linking specialist businesses under one parent. Customers pay through contracts for delivered systems and services, with payment tied to labor, costs or agreed project milestones. Leidos traces its roots to a company founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Reston, Virginia

Founded

1969

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Recognized sales are growing: Leidos reported fiscal Q2 revenue of $4.56 billion, up 7%, in August 2026.
  • Technical study gets support: Leidos lists 4,092 certification prep courses and tuition assistance for full time employees.
  • Future work includes funded contracts: Leidos reported $10.2 billion of funded backlog in August 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Federal budgets dominate demand: Leidos' February 2026 filing attributed 87% of fiscal 2025 revenue to U.S. government work.
  • Cleared cyber roles restrict access: Leidos' live Fort Meade analyst posting requires active Top Secret clearance with a polygraph.
  • Cost overruns threaten margins: firm fixed price work accounted for 43% of Leidos' fiscal 2025 revenue.

What makes Leidos unique

  • Runway capacity improves through software: Leidos and UK navigation provider NATS optimize landing spacing with Intelligent Approach.
  • Leidos reaches patients directly: its QTC medical exam business connects over 15,000 providers with more than 90 clinics.
  • Leidos builds battlefield hardware: it is the Army's prime contractor for Enduring Shield, a mobile air-defense launcher.

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Benefits

  • Medical, dental, & vision insurance
  • Health Savings account
  • Income protection
  • PTO
  • Paid parental leave
  • Jury duty pay
  • Bereavement leave
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Family Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
PR Newswire
Oct 21st, 2026
Leidos wins $160M US Cyber Command award for full-spectrum cyber operations

Leidos has won a five-year, $160 million award to support US Cyber Command in planning and conducting full-spectrum military cyber operations. The work will help the command respond to evolving threats and coordinate operations across the Department of War. The company will integrate and coordinate offensive and defensive operations, including support to secure, operate, and defend the Department of War Information Network. It will also provide cyber defense, operational planning, emerging threat analysis, and help develop tactics, techniques, and procedures. Jason O'Connor, president of Leidos Intelligence, said the team includes the recently acquired Kudu Dynamics. The award advances Leidos' NorthStar 2030 strategy, with cyber as a key growth driver.

PR Newswire
Oct 14th, 2026
Leidos wins one-year MOD logistics extension to 2029, building on $508M in benefits

Leidos has won a one-year extension to its Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The deal continues logistics support to the UK Armed Forces through June 2029. Leidos has been prime contractor since 2015. It manages more than 70,000 commodity NATO Stock Numbers, supports distribution to more than 600 locations worldwide, and runs the £83 million Defence Fulfilment Centre at MOD Donnington. The company estimates it has delivered £400 million in benefits to the MOD. During the extension, Leidos will work on supply chain resilience, inventory visibility, and digital capability. The programme supported the MOD through the COVID-19 pandemic and urgent needs related to Ukraine.

INSURASALES
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1B financing for Analogic merger with three Leidos units

Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI) is leading a $1 billion financing package for the merger of Analogic Corporation with three Leidos units: Security Enterprise Solutions, Ports & Borders, and Industrial Automation. The combined business will make imaging and detection technology for sectors such as aviation security and healthcare. BXCI is lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Brad Colman, BXCI's head of healthcare investing, called the deal proof of its strength in building large credit strategies with flexible solutions. Analogic is based in Salem, New Hampshire. Leidos employs 50,000 people and earned $17.2 billion in fiscal 2026. BXCI managed $443 billion in assets at the end of 2025. Roughly 75% of Blackstone's credit assets are backed by institutional and insurance clients.

GFM Limited
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1bn private credit financing for Leidos-Analogic security merger

Blackstone is leading a $1bn private credit financing to support the combination of the security enterprise solutions businesses of Leidos Holdings and Analogic Corporation, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone Credit & Insurance is reportedly lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS Investment Partners, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Leidos, a listed engineering and technology services company based in Virginia, serves government and commercial clients. It generated $17.2bn in revenue in 2025. Analogic develops imaging, detection, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies. Private equity firm Altaris acquired it in a $1.1bn take-private deal in 2018. Blackstone was reportedly also among the lenders in a recent financing for Waymo, which was increased to $5bn.

PR Newswire
Oct 12th, 2026
Leidos joins US Army's Reveille Forge, a "permanent hackathon" for early tech integration testing

Leidos is taking part in Reveille Forge, the US Army's new permanent integration and testing environment, to help spot technology integration problems sooner. The Army set up the site after its Operation Jailbreak exercise earlier this year. Reveille Forge replaces periodic events with a continuous "integrate-first" approach. Government, industry, and academia can test how technologies work together before they reach soldiers in the field. Leidos recently completed Jailbreak Sprint 1.5 at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. It followed the first sprint at Fort Carson, Colorado, in June, where the company tested its IFPC Inc 2, MXR, and ALPS systems. "Now, Reveille Forge gives the Army and industry an enduring environment to integrate early, test together and mature capabilities faster," said Matt Becker, a Leidos vice president.