Junior Software Engineer

Job Description

Junior Software Engineer (AI-Enabled Development) | Leidos

The Tone:
This is a full-time hybrid role at Leidos, located in Gaithersburg, MD; Eagan, MN; or Egg Harbor, NJ. The company builds real-time, safety-critical systems for national air traffic operations, specifically supporting the UK. This role is vital for modernizing high-availability air traffic management platforms by integrating traditional systems engineering with innovative AI-augmented software development. You will contribute to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure, applying disciplined, responsible AI to solve complex problems in regulated, real-world environments.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Hybrid
• Location: Hybrid, Gaithersburg, MD; Eagan, MN; Egg Harbor, NJ
• Pay: $69550–$125725 yearly
• Team: UK National Airspace System Replacement Product Delivery Team (UK NASR PDT)
• Mission: Modernize a high-availability air traffic management platform for the United Kingdom, leveraging both traditional systems engineering and innovative AI-augmented software development techniques.
• Tech Stack: C, C++, Ada, Linux (Red Hat), TCP/IP, UDP, SCTP

What You’ll Actually Do
• Software Development: Design, develop, test, and maintain software for real-time, high-availability systems.
• AI Integration: Apply AI-assisted development tools to accelerate coding, refactoring, debugging, and automated test generation.
• System Analysis: Analyze complex system requirements and translate them into efficient, maintainable designs.
• Automation: Develop and maintain automation scripts across development, test, and production environments.
• Quality & Collaboration: Promote code quality, reuse, traceability, and cross-team collaboration within the SDLC.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field; this role is suitable for early career professionals with at least two years of relevant experience or individuals with a Master’s degree.
• Experience: Hands-on experience using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) for code generation, refactoring, debugging, and automated test creation; experience with large language model platforms, designing effective prompts, and validating AI-generated output; 2 or more years of experience developing real-time, multi-threaded systems; experience with low-level communications protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, SCTP); and experience with hardware or complex system integration.
• Skills: Strong object-oriented programming experience in C, C++, and/or Ada; familiarity with Linux (Red Hat), virtual machines, and hypervisors; understanding of human-in-the-loop development and responsible AI usage, including evaluating AI-generated outputs for correctness, performance, safety, and bias; experience with automated testing frameworks; strong communication skills; ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams; ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance; and US citizenship required.
• Bonus: Proficiency in Ada is preferred but not required.