Principal Solution Architect, National Solutions Growth
Company: Leidos
Location: Gaithersburg
Posted on: April 1, 2026
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Job Description:
The Intelligence Sector at Leidos has an exciting and strategic
opening for a Principal Solution Architect & Innovation Lead to
work in our Gaithersburg, MD or Chantilly, VA offices. This is a
unique opportunity to use your deep technical expertise and
leadership experience to help shape the future of end-to-end space
and geospatial intelligence systems. We are seeking a visionary
technical leader who thrives on complex challenges, takes ownership
of them, and drives their success with innovative solutions that
push the envelope. If you are passionate about solving the nation's
toughest global monitoring challenges and inspiring teams to
deliver groundbreaking results, this role is for you. Primary
Responsibilities In this dynamic role, you will be a go-to
technical leader, deployed to solve our customers' most pressing
problems and to architect their future-state systems. Your
responsibilities will include: Technical Strategy & Innovation:
Champion and architect innovative, next-generation system
solutions. You will lead technical planning and Analysis of
Alternatives for high-consequence acquisition decisions, evaluating
alternatives based on cost, risk, and supportability for the total
system life cycle. Proposal & Business Development Leadership:
Serve as the technical visionary and lead for high-priority
proposal efforts, including RFPs and RFIs. You will shape winning
strategies and solutions that align with customer needs and
differentiate Leidos in the marketplace. Program Execution &
Recovery: Act as a technical "first responder" to diagnose and
resolve complex issues on challenged programs. You will provide
expert-level diagnostics, recovery planning, and hands-on
leadership to guide teams back to success. Architect Next-Gen
Solutions: Design end-to-end solutions that integrate emerging
technologies (Generative AI, Computer Vision, Edge Compute) into
mission-critical workflows, spanning from sensor collection to
final exploitation. Customer Engagement & Inspiration: Engage
directly with senior government customers, program managers, and
stakeholders to understand their challenges, build trust, and
inspire confidence. You will translate their mission needs into
actionable technical requirements and roadmaps. Team Leadership &
Mentorship: Lead and mentor dynamic, multi-disciplinary teams,
often in transient settings. You will foster a culture of
innovation, ownership, and technical excellence, coaching other
technical staff to elevate their performance. Basic Qualifications
Modern Technical Fluency: While you have extensive tenure, your
recent experience (last 5 years) must demonstrate hands-on
leadership in modern architectures: Cloud Native: Architecting
solutions on AWS/Azure (Serverless, Containers/Kubernetes,
Microservices) Data & AI: Experience integrating Data Fabrics,
AI/ML pipelines, or automated processing of overhead sensor data.
Capture & Proposal Experience: Demonstrated track record of leading
technical responses for federal acquisitions. You must be able to
deconstruct an RFP L&M (Section L and M) and architect a
compliant, winning technical solution . Large Development Program
Experience: Proven leadership experience in technical planning,
system design, and full life cycle systems engineering
(requirements analysis, functional analysis, integration,
verification, and validation). Education & Tenure: BS in Computer
Science or related field with 15 years of relevant experience (MS
with 13 years, or PhD with 10 years) Clearance: Must possess an
active TS/SCI security clearance and have ability to obtain a
polygraph-level clearance. Preferred Qualifications Complex
Solution Landscapes : Demonstrated experience resolving highly
complex, multi-dimensional problems that require consideration of
variables impacting multiple aspects of a program. GovCon & Domain
Expertise: Deep, proven understanding of the Intelligence Community
(IC) landscape, specifically space-based architectures, ground
processing, GEOINT, and TCPED missions. You must understand the
constraints and requirements of classified environments. Excellent
Writing and Communication Skills : Exceptional communication and
presentation skills, with a proven ability to engage and influence
senior executive leadership and customers. Mission Domain
Experience: Direct, hands-on experience supporting satellite ground
systems, mission management, or geospatial intelligence programs.
Large Program Solutioning : Demonstrated success leading the
solutioning of capture and proposal efforts for major government
contracts. Modern Engineering Skills: Experience with modern
engineering methodologies such as Model-Based Systems Engineering
(MBSE), Agile, and DevSecOps. Deep Technical Skills: Familiarity
with key technology areas such as cloud architectures (AWS, Azure),
Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), data analytics,
and cybersecurity. Strong Software Development / R&D
Experience: Hands-on experience developing innovative solutions in
a modern language (e.g. Java, C++), preferably in both program and
R&D settings. 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: February 3, 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 $154,050.00 - $278,475.00 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.
Keywords: Leidos, Burke , Principal Solution Architect, National Solutions Growth, IT / Software / Systems , Gaithersburg, Virginia
