Principal AI Software Engineer (SWE-4)

Leidos•Fort Meade, MD

5d•$131,300 - $237,350•Hybrid

About The Position

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Principal AI Software Engineer in our Intelligence Sector's Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management. Our LOE program provides our customer's Operations organization with the best possible solutions for their mission needs. We achieve this through rapid prototyping, new development, and advanced technology research. From leading-edge visualizations to analytic development, we're always pushing the boundaries to find new and better data sources and tradecraft to answer intelligence questions. With a focus on collaboration and a fast-paced environment, our prototype development program is the ideal place to grow your skills and make a real impact. Seeking a motivated Principal AI Software Engineer to support the exciting Corporate Directory Services mission. Engineers will work closely with mission stakeholders to lead the development of advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) solutions, intelligence mission workflows, and emerging analytic capabilities. This role is responsible for designing, developing, prototyping, and operationalizing AI-enabled applications that automate complex intelligence processes, discover emergent intelligence value, and accelerate mission outcomes. The candidate will work across multiple technical domains including software engineering, data science, machine learning, and large language model (LLM) integration to deliver innovative capabilities from proof-of-concept through operational deployment.

Requirements

Proficient in current AI/ML technologies such as classification, clustering, collaborative filtering, search, and retrieval using techniques such as but not limited to deep neutral networks (DNN), recurrent neural networks (RNN), attention-based transformers, etc.
Experience in current large language models (LLM) for representative and generative tasks.
Bachelor's degree plus eleven (11) years of relevant experience or equivalent.
Proficiency with object-oriented languages (JAVA, Python) and experience with Jupyter Notebooks.
Active TS/SCI with Polygraph required to be considered for this role.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in approaches to retrieval augmented generation (RAG), model context protocol (MCP) and other recent technologies supporting agentic AI.
Foundational knowledge of statistics related to parametric probability distributions, nonparametric probability distributions, Bayesian analysis, and covariance matrices.
Proficiency in agentic systems that can automatically carry out mission goals with limited supervision.

Responsibilities

Collaborate closely with customers to drive the rapid development, evaluation, and transition of AI/ML-enabled mission capabilities that enhance operational analysis and intelligence workflows.
Leverage emerging technologies, scalable software architectures, and advanced analytics to automate discovery, accelerate insight generation, and deliver production-ready solutions across diverse mission domains.
Shape technical strategy and best practices to ensure effective deployment, sustainment, and evolution of AI-enabled mission systems.