Lead Python Software Engineer

Leidos is seeking a Lead Python Software Engineer, who will be a member of a dynamic team in Gaithersburg, MD, working on the development/maintenance of software that improves aircraft runway and terminal congestion.

Nationwide congestion is increasing, and the need for efficient aircraft traffic planning is critical. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) is the surface management solution that will provide NextGen Air Traffic Control capabilities to improve air traffic operations in the National Airspace System (NAS). The Terminal Flight Data Management (TFDM) program is a Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NextGen program based on airport surface management that provides efficiency for both the airport surface and terminal airspace by providing a new and comprehensive integrated surface traffic control and management system.

We are a team of forward-looking professionals in need of a strong candidate with these key required skills: Modern Development (Python, Java, PHP), Structured Data (XML, XSD, XSLT, JSON, CSV), Agile / Scrum development, AI-Assisted Development, relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle).

*This position requires onsite support in Gaithersburg, MD 3 days a week*

Responsibilities:

• Architect, design, develop, and implement next-generation application using software engineering best practices in the latest technologies:

  • Infrastructure-as-Code and Configuration-as-Code (Terraform, Ansible)

  • Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Development (Generative AI, LLMs, AI coding assistants, RAG, AI agents, prompt engineering, and AI MCP servers)

  • DevOps and CI/CD tooling (Bamboo, Docker, SonarQube, Ansible)

• Provide software expertise in one or more of these areas: application integration, RESTful services, Artificial Intelligence, security, workflow automation, module integration, user experience (UX), and accessibility compliance (Section 508/WCAG/USDS standards).

• Investigate and repair application defects regardless of component: automation, front-end, business logic, middleware, or database (PL/SQL and Data Modeling).

• Brief management, customer, team, or vendors using written or oral skills at appropriate technical level for audience

• All other duties as assigned or directed

• Willingness to travel to customer sites

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, engineering, or related technical discipline. Master’s or Doctorate degree may substitute for required experience.

• 5+ years of combined experience with modern software development (Python, Java, PHP)

• 2+ years of combined experience with web development and building responsive UIs with modern front-end technologies

• Experience with Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Development (Generative AI, LLMs, AI coding assistants, RAG, AI agents, prompt engineering, and AI MCP servers)

• Experience working in Agile software development environments.

• This program requires a Public Trust security clearance, in order to obtain/maintain a Public Trust, candidates must hold US citizenship or Permanent Residency

Required Skills:

• Experience developing modern Python applications using object-oriented design principles, type annotations, asynchronous programming, automated testing frameworks, and secure software development best practices.

• 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.

• Experience with automated testing methodologies including unit, integration, end-to-end, and behavior-driven testing using tools such as pytest, Behave, Selenium, Playwright, and test automation frameworks.

• Solid knowledge of front-end technologies including HTML5, JavaScript/TypeScript, CSS3, and responsive UI development principles.

• Experience with UNIX and Linux operating systems and automating tasks with scripting languages like Bash, Shell

• Experience using DevOps and CI/CD tools including Git/Bitbucket, Bamboo/Jenkins, SonarQube, and automated build/deployment pipelines.

Desired Skills:

• Solid understanding of modern Python libraries and frameworks, including GeoPandas, Fiona, Pillow, PyTesseract, and XMLDiff, with experience developing geospatial, document-processing, and data transformation applications.

• 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 PHP software development and Drupal.

• 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.

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:

June 24, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

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.