Principal Engineering Technical Manager – EO/IR System Development

The Defense Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Principal Engineering Technical Manager – EO/IR Seekers & Subsystems to work in our Huntsville, AL office. This is an exciting opportunity to use your experience supporting Department of War EO/IR seeker and subsystem development programs. In this mission, you will lead teams focused on engineering design, development, and transition of EO/IR seekers and subsystems from prototype to production, supporting organizational growth and technical excellence through effective program execution.

Primary/Daily Responsibilities:

The Engineering Technical Manager will be responsible for supporting the growth and transition of EO/IR seeker and subsystem programs from concept development to producible solutions to include supporting project management of existing funded efforts to that end. Duties include but not limited to:

• Lead the development, integration, and transition of EO/IR seeker and subsystem programs from concept through production.
• Manage and mentor teams of engineers, technicians, and designers in a cross-functional team environment.
• Oversee project execution, capability development, and delivery of EO/IR solutions for Army and DoD customers.
• Collaborate with industry and DoW agencies and stakeholders to refine requirements and optimize subsystem performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in quality operations, nonconformance management, and supplier engagement.
• Support analytic efforts, project management, and forecasting/tracking models for engineering deliverables.
• Ensure compliance with all security, safety, and quality standards.
• Support business development and growth initiatives for EO/IR programs.

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or related field) and 8+ years of relevant experience or Master’s degree and 6+ years of relevant experience. 4+ years of experience supervising or leading teams or projects.

• Experience with large-scale, multi-million dollar project management.
• Managing programs and leading engineering teams through the full lifecycle including engineering development, and production ramp-up.
• Coordinating with and supporting manufacturing operations and workflow improvement.
• Proven track record in project management, supplier engagement, and quality operations.
• Strong communication, leadership, and mentoring skills.
• Must be capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment, working closely with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating within a team environment.
• Ability and willingness to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance. (U.S. Citizenship is required)

Preferred Qualifications:

In addition to the qualifications listed above, the ideal candidate should be a strong communicator and highly organized, demonstrating experience in more than one of the following:

• Industrial engineering or equivalent production degree.
• Working with EO/IR system technologies.
• Experience working with production systems (Solumina MES, Windchill PLM, CostPoint)
• Prior military service or experience working with military customers and their industry partners.
• Experience integrating modern tools into process workflows to improve team efficiency.
• Active DoD Secret clearance.

Why Join Us?

We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth in a collaborative and innovative environment. If you are passionate about technology and eager to make a difference, we encourage you to apply!

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:

Pay Range:

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.