Sr. Quality Assurance Engineer

Leidos•San Antonio, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Unleash Your Potential! At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customer’s success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. If this sounds like an environment where you can thrive, keep reading! The Mission Leidos is seeking a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer to provide enterprise-level quality leadership supporting the Integrated Defensive Cyber System (IDCS) portfolio under the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC)/HNCD, with additional support to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cloud modernization initiatives. This role operates as a senior Quality Engineering authority supporting defensive cyberspace weapon systems, big data platforms, RF monitoring capabilities, and mission cloud environments, ensuring delivery excellence, audit readiness, and sustained compliance within mission-critical DoD cyber programs. The successful candidate will partner closely with Program Management, Engineering, Cybersecurity, and DevSecOps teams to ensure quality is embedded across both sustainment and development Technical Direction Plan (TDP) activities supporting the IDCS architecture. Enterprise Quality Leadership This role provides enterprise-level quality leadership across multiple task orders, ensuring compliance, performance excellence, and continuous improvement in alignment with contractual requirements, cybersecurity operational standards, and Leidos Engineering Edge NextGen (EENG) methodologies. The Senior QA Engineer will act as a key IDCS Quality authority, influencing program execution through analytics, structured process improvement, and cross-functional engagement. This position follows a hybrid work schedule, requiring three (3) days per week on-site at the designated program location and two (2) days per week remote, based on program needs and leadership direction.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline with 12+ years of professional experience, or Master’s degree with 10+ years of experience. Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance (Secret, as required by tasking).
Demonstrated experience leading quality functions on large-scale federal IT, cyber, or mission systems programs.
Proven experience implementing and governing structured Quality Management Systems (QMS) aligned to standards such as ISO 9001 and/or CMMI.
Experience driving SLA/KPI performance measurement and data-driven performance analytics in operational environments.
Demonstrated experience conducting internal audits and managing corrective and preventive action programs (CAPA/CARs).
Experience integrating risk management practices within program governance frameworks.
Working knowledge of modern engineering or DevSecOps environments and the role of quality within those ecosystems.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and data analysis/reporting tools.
Demonstrated experience applying structured process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent).

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting DoD, Air Force, DHS, or Intelligence Community cybersecurity, cyber defense, or mission systems programs (e.g., ACD, CDA, CVA/H, CDM, NOSC, or similar environments).
ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor certification or equivalent quality auditing credential.
Experience operating within CMMI-DEV, CMMI-SVC, or comparable process maturity frameworks in complex federal environments.
ITIL certification and/or demonstrated experience supporting IT Service Management (ITSM) or enterprise service delivery environments.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or demonstrated advanced process improvement leadership.
Demonstrated experience briefing Government senior leadership on quality, risk, or performance posture.
Experience developing or institutionalizing portfolio-level quality governance frameworks across large, complex federal programs.
Experience integrating Risk Management practices within performance-based DoD or federal contracts.
Experience supporting audit readiness for DoD, Air Force, DHS, USCG, or federal oversight bodies (e.g., DCMA, OIG, internal enterprise audits).
Experience leveraging data analytics, reporting platforms, dashboards, or AI-enabled solutions to enhance mission performance monitoring and governance visibility.
Working familiarity with DevSecOps, modern software delivery pipelines, Platform One/Cloud One–style environments, or cyber mission ecosystems.
Experience supporting cyber weapon systems, defensive cyber platforms, or high-assurance mission environments preferred.
Experience supporting federal cloud modernization initiatives (e.g., IL-level cloud, hybrid cloud, or mission cloud migrations), including USCG or DoD cloud programs, preferred.
Active DoD Secret clearance or higher preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the portfolio-level Quality Lead across mission programs, providing enterprise oversight of quality, compliance, and performance governance in support of IDCS-M objectives.
Provide strategic leadership for Quality Management System (QMS) implementation, sustainment, and continual improvement, ensuring alignment with contractual requirements, QASP metrics, SLAs, and internal governance standards.
Drive portfolio level Risk Management integration in coordination with Program Managers and Task Order leadership, ensuring consistent risk identification, documentation, mitigation planning, and trend analysis.
Establish and institutionalize a structured Continual Improvement framework that delivers measurable enhancements in compliance posture, performance stability, operational efficiency, and organizational maturity.
Lead internal audits, compliance reviews, and performance evaluations to proactively identify systemic issues and ensure sustainable resolution and prevention of recurrence.
Conduct and oversee root cause analyses (RCA) for performance or compliance gaps, driving corrective and preventive actions through verified and validated closure.
Oversee SLA/KPI performance analytics, leveraging data-driven insights to anticipate risk, reduce performance variability, and strengthening contractual execution.
Leverage enterprise tools and platforms (e.g., SharePoint, CM repositories, AI-enabled analytics, and program governance systems) to enhance reporting transparency, operational visibility, and decision support.
Partner closely with Program Managers, engineering teams, and functional leaders to reinforce operational discipline, strengthen governance rigor, and maintain alignment during program transitions or contract changes.
Proactively identify early risk indicators and prevention opportunities, reinforcing a prevention-first quality culture across the portfolio.
Prepare and deliver executive-level quality and risk posture briefings to senior leadership and Government stakeholders.
Mentor and guide junior Quality personnel while fostering strong cross-functional collaboration and professional development.
Contribute to enterprise quality strategy, governance alignment, and portfolio maturity initiatives supporting long-term mission success.