Sr Software Engineer, AI Development
Company: Leidos
Location: Huntsville
Posted on: April 1, 2026
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Job Description:
This is not a maintenance role. This is a reinvention role
located in Huntsville, AL. We are looking for a Principal Software
Engineer who doesn’t just build systems—but reshapes how they are
conceived, delivered, and trusted. Someone who pairs deep technical
credibility with architectural vision, and who has the conviction
to challenge legacy approaches when the mission demands more. In
this role, you will be a technical provocateur and lead engineer,
driving the design and delivery of AI-enabled, agentic, and
intelligent software platforms that dramatically accelerate
modernization and outcomes. You’ll operate at the highest
altitude—setting technical direction, evaluating emerging
technologies, and prototyping what’s next—while still diving deep
to turn ideas into production-grade reality. This is a role for
builders who bias toward action, who believe disruption can coexist
with rigor, and who want to apply cutting-edge AI to the problems
that matter most. Why This Role Matters We are here to radically
remake software systems that underpin the country’s most critical
missions—aviation, healthcare, energy, and other safety-critical
domains where failure is not an option. We are bringing agentic AI
transformation not to trivial demos or disposable apps, but to the
hardest, highest-stakes systems: Systems with extreme safety,
security, and resilience requirements Systems constrained by
regulation, legacy architecture, and operational risk Systems where
speed to outcome must increase without compromising trust Our
ambition is simple and audacious: move faster than ever before,
while raising the bar on safety and reliability. Key
Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Architecture Provide
Thought leadership in the future opportunities in AI and
agentic-enabled tools, capabilities, and challenges Serve as the
architectural lead for AI- and agentic-enabled tooling,
establishing patterns, reference implementations, and best
practices. Design scalable, secure, and resilient software systems
that integrate LLMs, multi-agent workflows, code intelligence, and
automation. Own and drive the technical roadmap for next-generation
software acceleration tools—including IDE extensions, code-analysis
agents, refactoring engines, and developer-assistive AI. Lead
architecture reviews, evaluate new technologies, and set
engineering standards for AI safety, quality, reliability, and
observability. Hands-On Engineering Build high-quality software
with modern languages and frameworks (e.g., Python, TypeScript, Go,
Java). Develop pipelines and services that enable AI reasoning,
code analysis, static/dynamic analysis, and automated
transformation of legacy systems. Prototype early concepts rapidly
and transition successful prototypes into robust, production
systems. Integrate AI/ML models (commercial, open-source, or
custom) into enterprise environments and developer workflows. AI &
Agentic Systems Development Design and build agentic orchestration,
tool-use interfaces, embeddings systems, context windows, and
retrieval-augmented workflows. Implement “human-in-the-loop” safety
and review patterns. Develop mechanisms for grounding,
guardrailing, and evaluating AI performance and correctness.
Leverage AI to analyze, modernize, and refactor large, complex
codebases (e.g., Java, .NET, COBOL, C++). Collaboration & Influence
Partner with product, UX, and platform teams to define features,
user journeys, and developer experience goals. Act as a technical
mentor to senior and mid-level engineers; cultivate a culture of
excellence and continuous learning. Collaborate closely with
research, data, and cybersecurity teams to ensure solutions are
safe, secure, and aligned with mission needs. Represent the
engineering team in internal and external forums, contributing to
thought leadership in AI and software engineering modernization.
Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree and 8 years experience in
software engineering, including significant experience at the
senior/architect level. Additional experience may be considered in
lieu of a degree. Expertise in designing and building distributed
systems, developer tools, or platform engineering products.
Hands-on experience implementing AI/ML systems or integrating large
language models into production workflows. Strong knowledge of
agentic frameworks, orchestration tools, RAG, vector databases, API
design, and microservices. Deep understanding of software design
patterns, CI/CD, DevSecOps, and cloud-native architectures
(AWS/Azure/GCP). Strong coding proficiency in at least two modern
languages (Python, Go, Java, C#, etc.). Ability to drive technical
strategy, influence cross-functional teams, and communicate complex
ideas clearly. Must be authorized to work in the U.S. Ability to
obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance. Preferred
Qualifications Experience modernizing legacy systems (e.g.,
mainframe, Java monoliths, .NET). Background building developer
experience (DevX) tools, IDE integrations, or code-intelligence
systems. Experience with AI/ML model fine-tuning, prompt
engineering, or evaluation frameworks. Familiarity with
cybersecurity, secure-by-design principles, or government/missions
systems Prior role as a thought leader, principal engineer,
architect, or technical founder. 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 10, 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 $107,900.00 -
$195,050.00 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.
Keywords: Leidos, Chattanooga , Sr Software Engineer, AI Development, IT / Software / Systems , Huntsville, Tennessee
