UAS Datalinks Interoperability Engineer

Location: Huntsville, AL

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

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Leidos’ Defense RF Systems UAS Portfolio is seeking a UAS Datalinks Interoperability Engineer to lead and manage interoperability requirements in support of Army Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) programmatic and operational goals. The ideal candidate will serve as a subject matter expert (SME) with a strong background in systems engineering and in-depth knowledge of tactical datalink waveforms. This role involves coordinating with a diverse set of stakeholders, including multi-service contributors such as Common Data Link (CDL), multinational partners such as NATO, and various Department of Defense (DOD) organizations to ensure compatibility, performance, and compliance across a wide range of Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) and Line of Sight (LOS) communication technologies. This position plays a key role in defining, developing, and ensuring cross-platform datalink compatibility to support current and future Army UAS capabilities.

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Primary Responsibilities

•  Serve as the lead for UAS datalink interoperability requirements, ensuring alignment across platforms and operational environments.

• Develop and manage system-level requirements for tactical datalink waveforms, including DDL, ADDL, DDL-Lite, Std-CDL, BE-CDL, and SATCOM (per MIL-STD-188 and related standards).

• Facilitate and lead working group meetings, engaging stakeholders from UAS program offices and industry to coordinate, define, and resolve issues related to the integration, interoperability, and performance of datalink systems.

• Monitor emerging technologies impacting UAS datalinks and provide technical assessments and recommendations for future capabilities and compliance.

• Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs), system architecture diagrams, and requirements traceability matrices.

• Collaborate with test and evaluation teams to define and verify interoperability metrics.

• Support Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) initiatives by contributing to the development, refinement, and maintenance of system models that facilitate requirements definition, traceability, and analysis.

Basic Qualifications

•  BS in Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering or a related STEM field from an accredited institution with 8- 12 years of applicable experience or Masters with 6 – 10 years of prior relevant experience

• 'Working knowledge of one or more tactical datalink technologies, including DDL, ADDL, DDL-Lite, Std-CDL, BE-CDL, SATCOM, or systems compliant with MIL-STD-188.

• Proven ability to lead technical meetings, coordinate working groups, and document actionable outcomes.

• Strong understanding of RF communications, datalink architectures, and network protocols.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Must possess and be able to maintain a Secret clearance.

• Must be a resident of Huntsville, AL or willing to relocate to the Huntsville, AL area.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with UAS platforms, tactical communication systems, or participation in DoD interoperability assessments.

• Proficiency in MBSE practices and familiarity with SysML or related modeling languages and tools.

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Original Posting:

Pay Range:

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.