Principal Test Director

Leidos•Gaithersburg, MD

4d•$131,300 - $237,350•Hybrid

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a Test Director to own the test, verification and validation (V&V) function for a newly awarded international air traffic modernization program. The role will establish the test organization, build the team, define the test strategy and operating rhythm, and create the acceptance framework for a modern, AI-enabled air traffic system through formal acceptance and into operational service. The program will design, integrate, test, implement, and provide long-term support for a new Enroute Air Navigation Services (ANS) System for Avians, the air navigation service provider responsible for Icelandic and surrounding North Atlantic airspace. The engagement includes design, testing and implementation; an operational and support phase covering software support, cybersecurity support and hardware maintenance under defined service levels; and an eventual exit or transition phase. The support term extends 15 years following Operational Acceptance. The program also includes a Local Development Centre and a co-development relationship with a Development Partner, while Leidos retains full responsibility for the system and services. The contract includes provisions governing AI use. The Test Director owns the test effort end to end and directs the coordinated programme across the acceptance lifecycle, consistent with the Avians Enroute System Agreement and Appendix F (Acceptance). Milestones include design reviews (PDR/CDR), FAT, IAT, Confidence/Stability testing, SSAT, SAT, Technical Transfer, ORD and the Operational Verification period leading to Operational Acceptance. The position operates independently of the delivery and engineering line to preserve objective, evidence-based assurance. Customer approval of a milestone does not itself constitute acceptance of the System. The position is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and is hybrid, with substantial on-site presence and international travel to Iceland (factory and site) during installation, acceptance, transition, shadow operations and operational verification.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in an appropriate discipline such as Systems Engineering, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical/STEM field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 12 years of total professional experience in test, V&V and/or engineering of large, complex systems and subsystems, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 7 years in test leadership or test management, directing test managers and engineers in planning and executing a coordinated test programme; this experience is part of the 12-year total.
Senior test-role involvement in at least one delivery of a comparable mission- or safety-critical system through formal acceptance to operational service, ideally an ATM/ANS or equivalent real-time, high-availability system.
Working knowledge of V&V practice for large, complex, safety-critical systems, including requirements-to-test traceability and RTM/VRTM management.
Competence with industry-standard test-management, requirements-management, defect-tracking and configuration-management tools, and continuous-integration/automated-build-and-test environments.
Awareness of cybersecurity acceptance testing, including penetration testing, sufficient to direct and integrate SSAT into the acceptance programme.
Excellent written and verbal English communication, including preparing and presenting test documentation, readiness assessments such as Pre-Test Reviews, and Test Reports to a customer-approval standard.
Strong leadership, planning and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to direct multidisciplinary test teams and work confidently with customers, operational stakeholders (ATCOs, ATSEPs, SYSOPs), and quality and safety assurance functions.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
Willing and able to work on-site as required during installation, acceptance, transition, shadow operations and operational verification, and travel internationally to factory and site locations in Iceland.

Nice To Haves

U.S. citizenship (desired, not required).
Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust (desired, not required).
Master’s degree in a relevant engineering, computing or systems discipline.
Recognized test or quality certification, such as ISTQB (Foundation/Advanced Test Manager) or an equivalent industry test-management qualification.
Familiarity with quality and assurance frameworks such as ISO 9001/AS9100 and ATM safety and software-assurance standards such as EUROCAE ED-109A, RTCA DO-278A software assurance levels, and EASA-aligned certification evidence.
Prior senior test experience on ATM/ANS or comparable real-time, high-availability, safety-critical systems taken through formal acceptance to operational service.
Experience supporting customer-side and co-development teams, including a Local Development Centre and development-partner integration.
Familiarity with safety-critical software engineering and safety-assurance activities, including Safety Case development using V&V evidence.
Experience directing test and evaluation in a regulated, milestone-driven environment with formal customer witnessing and acceptance.

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end test and evaluation function, including test strategy, plans, procedures and scripts, pass/fail criteria, test environments and tooling, execution, reporting, and re-test and regression management.
Establish the program’s test organization by forecasting resource and skill needs, recruiting and onboarding test managers and engineers, and integrating a multidisciplinary team.
Prepare testing documents for customer approval and conduct acceptance tests against approved criteria; establish and maintain an RTM/VRTM mapping tests to requirements.
Lead formal FAT, IAT and SAT events, including customer participation and witnessing, support for customer “free testing,” and access to verification activities, tools and reports.
Implement a continuous, risk-based test approach across the lifecycle, including early acceptance criteria and scenarios, traceability, unit and string testing to full code coverage, continuous integration and automated build-and-test, progressive integration, and pre-FAT/SAT dry runs.
Direct unit, integration, functional, operational, performance and response-time-under-maximum-load, capacity, monitoring and control, redundancy/switchover, system recovery, overload-handling and security testing.
Direct and integrate SSAT, including penetration testing, into the acceptance programme.
Support customer-side and co-development teams, including the Local Development Centre and development-partner integration, and coordinate verification of integrated builds and third-party interfaces.
Develop and manage integrated verification schedules, identify test-related program risks, coordinate cross-functional readiness, and report status to customer and contractor leadership.
Support Safety Case development with V&V evidence, traceability, and disciplined configuration and change control, consistent with safety-critical software engineering and safety-assurance activities.
Manage defect identification, triage and resolution through a consolidated test defect list; close defects only after rectification, successful re-test and customer approval.