DMV Company Research Vault

Leidos - Reston, VA

8 min read

Leidos

Summary

Leidos is a Fortune 500 science and technology leader providing solutions across defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. Formed through the merger of Leidos and Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) in 2016, the company is one of the largest government contractors in the world. Leidos specializes in systems integration, cybersecurity, cloud modernization, AI/ML, digital modernization, engineering, and mission-critical IT. Headquartered in Reston, VA, Leidos employs approximately 47,000 people globally with significant concentration in the DMV region supporting defense and intelligence missions.

Locations (DMV)

  • Headquarters: Reston, VA
  • Key Offices:
    • Reston (corporate HQ and major operations)
    • Bethesda, MD (health sector)
    • Rockville, MD
    • Arlington, VA
    • Annapolis Junction, MD (intelligence community work)
    • Herndon, VA
    • Multiple classified facilities across DMV
  • Data Centers:
    • Operates and manages government data centers but is not a commercial provider

Industry & Sector

  • Primary Sector: Defense & Intelligence Contracting / Systems Integration
  • Sub-Sectors:
    • Defense Systems & Mission Software
    • Intelligence Community IT & Analytics
    • Civil Government IT Modernization
    • Health IT & Biomedical Research Support
    • Cybersecurity
    • Cloud Migration & Engineering
    • Systems Engineering & Integration
    • AI/ML & Advanced Analytics
  • NAICS relevance: 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services), 541330 (Engineering Services), 541715 (R&D in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences)

Products & Services

  • Offerings:

    • Enterprise IT and cloud modernization
    • Cybersecurity operations and engineering
    • Data analytics, AI/ML, and decision support systems
    • Systems engineering and technical assistance (SETA)
    • Mission software development
    • Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR)
    • Health IT systems (EHR, clinical research, biomedical informatics)
    • Logistics and supply chain optimization
    • Training and simulation systems

  • Technical capabilities:

    • Full-spectrum cyber operations (offensive and defensive)
    • Large-scale cloud migrations (AWS, Azure, multi-cloud)
    • AI/ML at scale for intelligence and operations
    • Signals intelligence (SIGINT) and geospatial analytics
    • Agile software development and DevSecOps
    • Systems-of-systems integration
    • High-performance computing (HPC)
    • Zero trust architecture implementation

  • Target customers:

    • Department of Defense (all services)
    • Intelligence Community (NSA, CIA, DIA, NGA, NRO)
    • Department of Homeland Security
    • Department of Veterans Affairs
    • NASA
    • FAA
    • Health & Human Services (NIH, CDC)
    • Department of Energy

Hiring Insights

  • Typical roles:

    • Systems Engineers
    • Software Engineers (Full Stack, Backend, DevSecOps)
    • Cybersecurity Engineers & Analysts
    • Data Engineers & Data Scientists
    • Cloud Engineers / Solutions Architects
    • Network Engineers
    • Intelligence Analysts
    • Program Managers / Technical Leads
    • Acquisition & Logistics Specialists

  • Technical stack:

    • Cloud: AWS (primary), Azure, GCP, multi-cloud strategies
    • Languages: Python, Java, C/C++, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, C#
    • Data & Analytics: Spark, Hadoop, Kafka, Elasticsearch, Splunk, Snowflake
    • AI/ML: TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, custom ML pipelines
    • DevSecOps: Kubernetes, Docker, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Terraform, Ansible
    • Cyber Tools: Splunk, ArcSight, QRadar, custom SIGINT tools
    • Platforms: Palantir, ServiceNow, Salesforce

  • Skill alignments with my background:

    • Strong fit for data engineering, cloud, and analytics roles
    • Systems engineering expertise highly valued across defense programs
    • AWS cloud experience directly applicable to modernization efforts
    • AI/ML capabilities align with Leidos’s strategic priorities
    • Federal experience accelerates onboarding and client engagement

  • Recruiting patterns:

    • Continuous hiring driven by contract wins
    • Clearance required or sponsorable for most roles (Secret, TS, TS/SCI, Poly)
    • Strong preference for cleared personnel (faster onboarding)
    • Active campus recruiting and internship programs
    • Veteran hiring initiatives
    • Employee referral bonuses

  • Red flags or green flags:

    • Green: Large, stable company with diverse portfolio reduces risk
    • Green: Strong benefits, tuition reimbursement, clearance sponsorship
    • Green: Access to cutting-edge defense and intelligence missions
    • Green: Career progression opportunities across business sectors
    • Red: Large company bureaucracy and slower decision-making
    • Red: Contract-dependent work can lead to project instability
    • Red: Utilization and billability pressures
    • Red: Recent restructuring and workforce reductions (2023-2024)

Contracting & Government Work

  • Major contracts:

    • Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA): Defense Enclave Services (DES) - $11.5B ceiling
    • Navy: Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) follow-on contracts
    • NASA: Exploration and Space Communications (ESC) - $2.9B
    • Army: Integrated Personnel and Pay System (IPPS-A) support
    • Intelligence Community: Multiple classified programs (NSA, CIA, NGA, NRO)
    • VA: Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) support
    • DHS: Customs and Border Protection IT services
    • NIH: Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research - $2.6B

  • Agencies served:

    • All branches of Department of Defense
    • Entire Intelligence Community
    • Department of Veterans Affairs
    • NASA
    • Department of Homeland Security
    • Health & Human Services (NIH, CDC)
    • FAA
    • Department of Energy
    • State and local governments

  • Prime or subcontractor?

    • Primarily prime contractor on large programs
    • Also serves as major subcontractor and teaming partner
    • Frequent teaming with other large SIs (Northrop, Raytheon, CACI)

Competitors in DMV

  • Booz Allen Hamilton
  • SAIC
  • General Dynamics IT (GDIT)
  • CACI International
  • Peraton
  • Northrop Grumman IT
  • Accenture Federal Services
  • Deloitte Federal
  • Jacobs (formerly CHE2MHILL and Engility)

Opportunities for Me

  • How my background fits:

    • Data engineering and analytics expertise directly applicable to intelligence and defense modernization
    • Cloud architecture skills critical for ongoing cloud migration programs
    • Systems engineering mindset aligns with SETA and program support roles
    • AI/ML capabilities match Leidos’s investment in advanced analytics
    • Federal/public sector experience valuable across all business areas

  • Value propositions I can pitch:

    • End-to-end data platform design for mission-critical systems
    • Cloud-native architectures optimized for security and performance
    • Ability to translate complex mission requirements into technical solutions
    • Track record delivering analytics at scale in regulated environments
    • Rapid onboarding due to cleared status (if applicable) or clearability

  • Portfolio projects relevant to this firm:

    • AWS/Azure data lake implementations with security controls
    • Real-time analytics pipelines for operational decision-making
    • ML models for anomaly detection, classification, or prediction
    • Infrastructure-as-Code demonstrating DevSecOps maturity
    • Data governance and compliance frameworks
    • Migration case studies (on-prem to cloud)
    • API development and microservices architectures

Cloud & Technology Partners

Primary Cloud Partners:

Platform Partners:

  • Palantir - Data integration for defense and intelligence
  • ServiceNow - IT service management for federal agencies
  • Splunk - Security operations and monitoring

Direct Competitors (Systems Integrators)

Large SIs competing for same contracts:

Defense Primes (Overlapping IT/Mission Software):

Government Customers

Intelligence Community:

  • NSA (National Security Agency) - IT infrastructure, analytics
  • CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) - Mission systems
  • NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) - GEOINT platforms
  • NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) - Space systems support

Defense:

  • Department of Defense (all services) - Cloud migration, C4ISR, logistics
  • DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) - Defense Enclave Services ($11.5B)

Civilian Agencies:

  • NASA - Exploration & Space Communications ($2.9B)
  • Veterans Affairs (VA) - EHR modernization support
  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - Customs & Border Protection IT
  • Health & Human Services (NIH) - Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research ($2.6B)

Talent Flows

Common moves FROM Leidos:

Common moves TO Leidos:

Defense Primes (Teaming Partners & Competitors)

Frequently team on large programs:

Competition: For IT modernization and mission software overlapping with Leidos core

FFRDC & Research Organizations

Complementary (Customer-like relationship):

  • MITRE Corporation - McLean, VA - MITRE provides independent assessment; Leidos implements
  • Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) - Policy research; Leidos executes programs

Sector: Defense & Intelligence Contracting

Related Sectors:

Ecosystem Position: Large-scale systems integrator bridging commercial cloud/IT with classified defense/IC missions

Skill Cluster: Cloud engineering, data/AI, cybersecurity, systems integration - see DMV Ecosystem - Strategic Insights Map

Clearance Note: Most roles require active Secret minimum; TS/SCI required for IC work

High Hiring Volume: One of largest tech employers in DMV; continuous hiring

Tags: company dmv research defense intelligence federal cloud cybersecurity systems-engineering reston tier2-comp clearance-required data-engineering

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