NMS Senior Software Designer

Location: Chantilly, VA

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

The Digital Modernization Sector at Leidos has an opening for an NMS Senior Software Designer: To support a key program in AT&T’s National Security business segment. The NMS IT Software Designer will provide expert knowledge of network management systems, operating systems, commercial software, government software, and full integration of toolsets and servers. 

Job Description for NMS Senior Software Designer:

• Ensure compliance with DoD 8140.03 (8570) IAT Level 2 requirements in the design and operation of mission systems.
• Lead systems engineering efforts for the ecosystem on RHEL and Windows, including requirements analysis, solution architecture, design, implementation, and integration with MariaDB and related data services.
• Architect and evolve end-to-end platform capabilities, translating mission and stakeholder requirements into technical roadmaps, system designs, and implementation plans for -based solutions.
• Define and evolve the program’s technical architecture and roadmap for and integrated systems, advising program leadership on trade-offs, risks, and investment priorities.
• Apply Agile, Scrum, and SDLC systems engineering practices to plan, decompose, and track work; ensure engineered solutions are traceable to requirements and verified against acceptance criteria.
• Collaborate with Project Managers and Technical Leads to define technical baselines, manage engineering risks and dependencies, and communicate system impacts, issues, and decision points.
• Engineer and integrate solutions with Cisco NSO, GOTS, and other enterprise systems in alignment with program and enterprise strategies, making recommendations on standards, reuse, and modernization priorities.
• Define and enforce systems engineering standards for documentation, including architectures, interface control documents (ICDs), design specifications, and operations guides; ensure artifacts support sustainment and future enhancements.
• Design and implement monitoring and observability strategies to ensure performance, availability, and reliability of mission services; use metrics and analytics to drive system improvements.
• Engineer secure solutions by design, incorporating security requirements, secure configuration baselines, and control implementations that support RMF A&A and ongoing compliance.
• Lead automation and infrastructure-as-code efforts (Ansible, Python, Terraform, PowerShell) to engineer repeatable, scalable deployment patterns and environment builds across development, test, and production.
• Direct the diagnosis and resolution of complex system-of-systems issues, leading Root Cause Analysis (RCA), driving corrective actions, and updating designs and standards to prevent recurrence.
• Perform and oversee system performance analysis, capacity planning, and tuning, ensuring architecture and implementations meet throughput, latency, and scalability objectives.
• Lead systems engineering activities across the full lifecycle, ensuring solutions directly support program technical strategy, mission outcomes, and cost/schedule baselines.
• Engineer deployable, production-ready solution packages with automated build, test, and deployment pipelines, enabling Operations teams to promote capabilities with minimal manual intervention and high reliability.
• Partner with program leadership, product owners, and stakeholders to translate program strategy and requirements into technical roadmaps, release plans, and system capabilities

Basic Qualifications
• TS SCI CI Poly
• Candidate must have 16 years of experience that can be a combination of work history and education. This equates to a doctorate and 8 years of experience OR a master’s and 10 years OR a bachelor’s and 12 years OR an associate’s and 14 years OR HS and 16 years. 
Must meet Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level 2 certification requirements. 
• Must have at least 5 years of relevant experience that can be a combination of work history, education, and training.
• Must have Certification: Certified System Administrator.
• Must have at least one other advanced certification.
• Team Leadership experience.
• The candidate must be highly motivated. Able to work independently with both local and geographically diverse team members. Using effective time management skills to meet deliverable timelines.
• The candidate must also have experience working within concept, design, engineering, production, and sustainment phases of system development lifecycle.
• Experience with at least one of (Agile, Scrum, SDLC).
• Must be able to work with minimal supervision to perform complex technical tasks and lead others effectively.
• Must be able to process and analyze information and trouble calls submitted by a customer (e.g., system administrator, developer, security specialist), make determinations, and provide and implement solutions.
• Proven experience automating the implementation and configuration of technologies to support large scale enterprise solution deployments and configuration management efforts.
• Hands-on experience with developing, evaluating, assessing, and refining automated testing, validation, and verifications methods.
• Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational skills, including attention to detail, multitasking and critical thinking skills.
• Skilled in working within a team environment within a professional office setting.
• Skilled in the ability to focus study and research to rapidly solve specific problems.
• Excellent and clear written documentation skills.
• Excellent self-study to achieve advanced training as required by the team and the program.
• Thrive within a highly dynamic and changing environment while adapting and managing shifting customer priorities.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Service Now or other ITSM.
• Experience working with Microsoft Office products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Experience innovating in a collaborative environment.
• Advanced system architecture, design, and integration.
• Experience with databases. Ideally including MariaDB.
• Required Cross platform and integration experience including Windows, Linux, Juniper, and Cisco.
• Demonstrated experience developing and scripting within using languages such as JavaScript, as well as integrating with external systems using Java, Python, Perl, or PowerShell.

Preferred Qualifications
• CompTIA Security+ or equivalent will meet the minimum requirement for the role.
• ISC^2 CISSP or equivalent is strongly preferred and exceeds the minimum requirement for this role.

Clearance Required:

• All candidates must possess an active TS/SCI with CI Poly at time of consideration.

Broadside

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:

August 21, 2026

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 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.