Description

Leidos Security Enterprise Solutions (SES) has an opening for Principal System Engineer to act as an IMS instrument system lead to support the system-level sustainment and advancement of fielded Ion Mobility Spectrometer instruments, and the design, development, integration, verification/validation, and transition-to-fielding of next-generation analytical instruments based on Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS).

Leidos is seeking an experienced scientist/engineer to lead the instrument systems engineering and system design of advanced IMS/MS-based instruments. The successful candidate will be responsible for technical planning, instrument architecture and requirements development, multi-disciplinary design coordination, and technical leadership across the full product lifecycle—from concept development through prototype builds and test, to sustained engineering support.

This role includes evaluating design alternatives (including technical risk, supportability, and performance), leading technical trade studies, and ensuring alignment across scientific, mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software development to deliver robust, high-performance instruments.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead system-level instrument architecture and design for IMS instruments, including decomposition into subsystems, interfaces, and verification strategies.
• Coordinate and lead the efforts of science and engineering teams on multidisciplinary projects, ensuring alignment across chemistry, physics, mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software development.
• Translate customer and mission needs into clear, testable system requirements, including allocation to subsystems and definition of interfaces and performance budgets.
• Develop and maintain an organized engineering roadmap and technical baseline for instrument development and sustaining activities.
• Perform (and/or lead) functional analysis, timeline analysis, trade studies, risk assessments, and requirements traceability to guide design decisions.
• Provide system-level design input to scientific, mechanical, electrical, and software teams—ensuring that instrument performance, reliability, and testability are built in from the start.
• Plan and lead integration, test, verification, and validation activities, including defining test approaches, troubleshooting cross-domain issues, and closing performance gaps.
• Establish and manage system configuration baselines, versioning, and change control; initiate and execute engineering change efforts to sustain and evolve the instrument.
• Mentor and guide other scientists and engineers; promote strong engineering rigor, documentation discipline, and effective design-review practices.
• Collaborate with program leadership and stakeholders to balance performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, reliability, and supportability.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or similar) with 12–15 years of relevant experience, or Master’s with 10–13 years of relevant experience. (A PhD in a relevant technical domain may be considered.)
• Demonstrated experience leading (or serving as a key technical contributor on) the design, build, and test of complex analytical instruments or sensing products from concept through prototype and system-level validation.
• Strong background in IMS and/or MS instrument development, including applying modern IMS/MS theory and practices to real hardware performance and test outcomes.
• Experience working effectively on multi-disciplinary teams, including technical leadership, coordination across organizations, and mentoring less experienced engineers/scientists.
• Ability to work independently to solve complex, ambiguous technical problems and drive decisions through data, analysis, and engineering judgment.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to present technical content to diverse audiences (engineering, leadership, and customers).
• US Citizen able to obtain relevant public trust and clearances

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Demonstrated experience with ion mobility development, including modeling, analysis, test correlation, and performance optimization at the instrument-system level.
• Experience with full lifecycle instrument engineering: requirements → architecture → subsystem design → integration → V&V → production transition → sustaining.
• Familiarity with instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis workflows (and effectively partnering with software teams to implement them).
• Background in designing for reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and configuration control in a product-oriented environment.
• Working knowledge of laboratory development environments (e.g., Linux-based workflows and scripting/automation) and test automation approaches.

Come break things (in a good way). Then build them smarter.

We're the tech company everyone calls when things get weird. We don’t wear capes (they’re a safety hazard), but we do solve high-stakes problems with code, caffeine, and a healthy disregard for “how it’s always been done.”

Original Posting:

December 29, 2025

Pay Range:

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

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Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.