Lead Software Developer

Leidos•Gaithersburg, MD

16h•Onsite

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a Lead Software Developer to join a dynamic team in Gaithersburg, MD, focused on developing and maintaining software that enhances aircraft runway and terminal congestion management. This role is crucial for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program, which aims to provide NextGen Air Traffic Control capabilities to improve air traffic operations. The TFDM program is an airport surface management initiative designed to increase efficiency in airport surface and terminal airspace through a comprehensive, integrated traffic control and management system. The team is looking for a candidate with strong skills in modern development (PHP, Python, Java), structured data (XML, XSD, XSLT, JSON, CSV), Agile/Scrum development, Drupal, and relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle). TFDM functionalities include Surface Collaborative Decision Making (SCDM), departure scheduling, and other airport decision tools, Electronic Flight Data (EFD), and integration with the Enhanced Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) Replacement within the National Airspace System (NAS). The goal is to enable data sharing among controllers, aircraft operators, and airports to improve the staging of arrivals and departures, manage terminal airspace traffic flow for greater efficiency, and provide a continuous real-time picture of traffic volume and airport resources for gate-to-gate flight efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, engineering, or a related technical discipline. Master’s or Doctorate degree may substitute for required experience.
5+ years of combined experience with modern software development (PHP, Python, Java).
3+ years of combined experience with web development and building responsive UIs with modern front-end technologies.
Experience working in Agile software development environments.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.
Solid understanding of modern PHP frameworks (Drupal, Laravel, Symfony).
Experience developing modern PHP applications using object-oriented programming principles and contemporary PHP language features including typed properties and union types.
Proven experience designing, developing, and maintaining software applications used to create, validate, transform, and manage structured data formats including JSON, CSV, XML, XSD, and XSLT.
Demonstrated knowledge of XML schema design (XSD), XSLT transformations, and structured data validation techniques.
Experience with automated testing methodologies including unit, integration, and behavior-driven testing using tools such as PHPUnit, Behat/Cucumber, Selenium, or equivalent frameworks.
Solid knowledge of front-end technologies including HTML5, JavaScript/TypeScript, CSS3, and responsive UI development principles.
Strong experience in automating tasks with scripting languages like Bash, Shell, or Python.
Experience in use of the UNIX and Linux operating systems.
Experience using DevOps and CI/CD tools including Git/Bitbucket, Bamboo/Jenkins, SonarQube, and automated build/deployment pipelines.

Nice To Haves

Strong experience with Ansible Automation and authoring playbooks and roles for installing, maintaining, or upgrading platforms.
Experience building, packaging, and deploying software applications in Linux environments using RPM-based distribution mechanisms.
Experience deploying or supporting applications in AWS cloud environments, related certifications.
Experience with AI assisted software development.
Experience using Atlassian collaboration and development tools including Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, and Bamboo.
Experience with relational databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Oracle including SQL optimization and ORM technologies such as Doctrine or Eloquent.
Experience with FAA and air traffic domain knowledge.
Willingness to travel to customer sites.

Responsibilities

Architect, design, develop, and implement next-generation applications using software engineering best practices and modern technologies, including Infrastructure-as-Code and Configuration-as-Code (Terraform, Ansible), Content Management Systems (Drupal, WordPress), and DevOps and CI/CD tooling (Bamboo, Docker, SonarQube, Ansible).
Provide software expertise in areas such as application integration, RESTful services, Drupal administration, security, workflow automation, module integration, user experience (UX), and accessibility compliance (Section 508/WCAG/USDS standards).
Investigate and repair application defects across various components, including automation, front-end, business logic, middleware, or databases (PL/SQL and Data Modeling).
Brief management, customers, teams, or vendors using written or oral communication skills, tailored to the technical level of the audience.
Perform all other duties as assigned or directed.