Lead Hardware Systems Engineer

Description

The Air Traffic Management Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Hardware Systems Engineer to work in our Gaithersburg, MD office. This is an exciting opportunity to be a member of a dynamic team working on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) En-Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) technology, which is the heart of the national air transportation system. ERAM provides the foundational platform for the National Airspace System (NAS) to monitor and manage high-altitude aircraft, increasing flight efficiency, safety, and capacity.

Primary Responsibilities

• Independently plan and execute hardware engineering projects and processes with significant impact on project deliverables.
• Develop solutions to complex hardware problems requiring deep technical analysis of system requirements, interfaces, cost, schedule, risk, supportability, and impacts to the overall system.
• Develop and maintain hardware designs and documentation, including electrical wiring diagrams, cable schematics, interconnect diagrams, cable lists, CAD drawings, Bills of Material (BOMs), Parts Lists, Cable Marking Specifications, and installation instructions.
• Perform technical analyses and trade studies to evaluate hardware solutions and support product selection.
• Support the hardware lifecycle, including design, fabrication, integration, verification, installation, testing, troubleshooting, modification, and fielding.
• Coordinate with Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Site Activation, Procurement, Manufacturing, Integration and Test, Adaptation, and other organizations to resolve technical and interface issues.
• Support formal engineering change and configuration management processes, including Engineering Change Notices (ECNs), Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), technical impact assessments, and hardware baseline updates.
• Independently resolve hardware issues identified during integration, testing, and field installation and ensure approved changes are incorporated into the hardware design baseline.
• Participate in design reviews and influence internal and client project teams regarding hardware solution design, processes, and implementation approaches.
• Develop level-of-effort estimates, schedules, resource requirements, and Estimates to Complete (ETCs) for assigned hardware activities.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and training to less-experienced engineering and technical staff.
• Identify hardware design and process improvements that improve quality, efficiency, supportability, and maintainability.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical discipline with 4–8 years of prior relevant experience, or Master's degree with 2–6 years of prior relevant experience.
• Experience independently executing hardware engineering projects, products, or processes within a technical area.
• Experience developing solutions to complex hardware engineering problems requiring technical analysis and consideration of impacts to the overall system.
• Experience developing hardware designs and documentation such as electrical wiring diagrams, cable schematics, interconnect diagrams, cable lists, CAD drawings, Bills of Material (BOMs), and Parts Lists.
• Experience supporting formal engineering change processes, including ECNs, ECRs, configuration management, or controlled hardware baseline changes.
• Experience with system-level hardware integration, verification, installation, testing, troubleshooting, technical problem resolution, and deployment.
• Experience working across engineering disciplines to evaluate interfaces and resolve system-level integration issues.
• Experience communicating technical analyses and recommendations to internal and client project teams and influencing technical decisions.
• Experience providing technical guidance, coaching, or training to less-experienced engineering or technical staff.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Visio.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Inventor, Visio, or other CAD software tools.
• Experience performing hardware trade studies and product selection based on technical, cost, risk, supportability, and implementation considerations.
• Experience developing engineering schedules, level-of-effort estimates, resource requirements, or Estimates to Complete (ETCs).
• Experience working on large-scale, safety-critical, mission-critical, or highly integrated systems.
• Experience working in FAA facilities, including CONUS Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC), or the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy (FAAAC).
• Experience with ERAM or other National Airspace System (NAS) systems.
• Experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) technologies.

Additional Requirements

• Candidates must have the ability to obtain a Public Trust clearance.

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 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.

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.