Principal Systems Engineer Air Traffic Management

Leidos is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer with strong Air Traffic Control (ATC) domain experience, with particular emphasis on Oceanic and En Route air traffic operations and systems. This is an opportunity to bring deep operational and technical expertise to programs that are shaping the future of air traffic management, helping evolve the systems and capabilities that will support increasingly modern, connected, and efficient airspace operations.

This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days working from home, if you are located within a commutable distance (Less than 1 hour's drive one-way during normal traffic) from Gaithersburg, MD; Eagan, MN; or Egg Harbor Township, NJ. However, if you do not reside within a commutable distance, you may be considered for a 100% remote role.

The Principal Systems Engineer will join a dynamic team supporting the Air Traffic division under Homeland having opportunities to contribute to domestic and international air traffic management initiatives. The successful candidate will help define and advance the next generation of mission-critical Air Traffic Management (ATM) capabilities, applying lessons learned from today's operational environments to the systems that will support the future of aviation and global airspace operations.

This role is ideal for someone who understands today's ATC environment but is excited about where air traffic management is going next. The engineer will bring a combination of air traffic domain knowledge and systems engineering experience, serving as an important bridge between operational users and engineering teams as new technologies and capabilities are introduced.

Candidates with experience supporting FAA En Route systems, Advanced Technologies & Oceanic Procedures (ATOP), or comparable international Oceanic/En Route air traffic management systems are strongly desired.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply Oceanic and En Route Air Traffic Control domain expertise to the development, modernization, integration, and sustainment of current and future air traffic management systems.

• Help define and shape future ATM capabilities by translating operational experience, emerging needs, and new concepts into system requirements and engineering solutions.

• Develop, analyze, document, and manage system and functional requirements, ensuring technical requirements accurately reflect operational ATC needs.

• Develop and maintain system documentation, system requirements, interface requirements, operational concepts, and related engineering artifacts.

• Translate air traffic controller and operational requirements into clear, testable technical requirements for software development, integration, and test teams.

• Work closely with software engineering, systems integration, test, human factors, and operational stakeholders to ensure a common understanding of system functionality and expected operational behavior.

• Participate in requirements reviews, design reviews, test readiness activities, technical interchange meetings, and other systems engineering lifecycle activities.

• Support verification and validation activities to ensure delivered capabilities satisfy both technical requirements and operational ATC needs.

• Contribute to the evolution of air traffic management by supporting modernization, interoperability, and the introduction of new technologies across domestic and international airspace environments.

• Provide technical and domain leadership to multidisciplinary engineering teams and mentor less-experienced engineers as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience. Significant hands-on Air Traffic Control or air traffic systems experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.

• 12+ years of related systems engineering experience, air traffic systems engineering, or directly relevant ATC domain experience, or 10+ years with a Master's degree.

• Demonstrated knowledge or experience with Oceanic and En Route Air Traffic Control operations, procedures, automation, or supporting systems.

• Experience translating operational concepts and user needs into system and software requirements.

• Experience supporting complex systems through development, integration, test, deployment, and/or sustainment.

• Demonstrated ability to investigate complex operational or system issues and collaborate across engineering disciplines to identify and implement solutions.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with air traffic operational personnel as well as technical engineering teams.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance

• US citizenship is required

• Successful completion of any required government background investigations

Preferred / Desired Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with FAA En Route or Oceanic Air Traffic Control operations or automation systems.

• Experience with the FAA Advanced Technologies & Oceanic Procedures (ATOP) system.

• Experience with FAA En Route automation environments or other large-scale air traffic management systems.

• Experience with international Oceanic or En Route Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), or international ATM interoperability.

• Knowledge of Oceanic operations, including flight data processing, aircraft separation, surveillance, controller tools, and air-ground communications.

• Familiarity with FAA modernization initiatives and technologies such as NextGen, System Wide Information Management (SWIM), Data Communications (Data Comm), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

• Experience working on programs involving both development and sustainment of operationally deployed, mission-critical systems.

• Experience working within Agile/Scrum development environments.

• Experience supporting requirements development, system integration, verification, validation, and operational issue resolution

ATMC

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:

August 12, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

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.