Chief Engineer

About Leidos Australia

At Leidos Australia, our work goes beyond a job title. We design, build, operate and support the systems, services and capabilities that help protect and advance the Australian way of life.

Backed by a global organisation of more than 40,000 people, our Australian team of around 2,000 has partnered with government, defence and national security customers for more than 30 years. We deliver mission-critical solutions where reliability, trust and purpose matter.

Leidos is a destination for people who want their work to have purpose, their contribution to be recognised, and their career to grow without needing to fit a single mould. Meaningful work is supported by benefits, flexibility and career pathways that help you grow while balancing life outside work. This includes:

• Flex Your Way – Tailor work to your life with options including Life Days (up to 12 extra days off per year), part-time arrangements, job sharing, and compressed hours.
• Wellbeing That Matters – Free access to Headspace and MeQuilibrium, plus dedicated wellness spaces to support your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.
• Learn Without Limits – Access over 120,000 on-demand courses, alongside technical, project management, leadership, and professional development opportunities.
• Work That Makes an Impact – Contribute to nationally significant projects that matter, solve complex challenges, and accelerate your career through unique growth opportunities.
• Build Your Future – Whether you're deepening technical expertise or preparing for leadership, we'll invest in your development every step of the way.
• And Much More – These are just a few of the ways we invest in our people and help them thrive.

About the Team

You’ll join a team where people work with integrity, inclusion, innovation, agility, collaboration and commitment. In practice, that means sharing ownership, solving complex problems together and staying connected to the customer context, the purpose behind the work and how each role contributes to meaningful outcomes.

We deliver secure, resilient and innovative technology services that enable Defence enterprise and warfighting capabilities across multiple classified domains and networks. We provide world-class ICT operations and agile digital modernisation using advanced analytics, automation, hybrid cloud, DevSecOps, Infrastructure as Code, cybersecurity and AI to optimise highly complex, mission-critical environments.

The Opportunity

As Chief Engineer, you will lead engineering governance and quality assurance across the CPx program. You will chair the Engineering Review Board (ERB) within the Systems Engineering Process (SEP), bringing together the right technical evidence, expertise and unresolved issues to support sound technical decisions.

Working collaboratively with the CTO, Chief Architect, delivery and sustainment teams and Service Operations, you will support consistent engineering practices and help ensure engineering outcomes meet agreed requirements and can be supported in service. You will provide clear assurance findings and recommendations, follow through on review actions and escalate material technical risks through established governance arrangements.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead the consistent application and improvement of the SEP, providing clarity around engineering checkpoints, review requirements, artefacts and evidence while maintaining practical governance workflows and traceability in Jira and Confluence.
• Chair the ERB, coordinating submissions and specialist participation, constructively testing technical evidence, assumptions, dependencies and risks, and ensuring decisions are made within approved authority and appropriately escalated where required.
• Provide engineering quality assurance across requirements, designs, verification and validation, test evidence and operational handover material, working with architecture, security, test and operational specialists to identify and address gaps.
• Maintain a clear view of significant engineering risks, quality issues and technical dependencies, ensuring actions have accountable owners, appropriate closure evidence and timely escalation of unresolved or material concerns.
• Work collaboratively with the CTO, Chief Architect, delivery leads, engineering specialists, Operations technical leads, Service Operations and Defence stakeholders, providing technical direction, mentoring and clear communication while using review findings and operational feedback to continually improve engineering practices.

About You

We are looking for someone who brings judgement, curiosity and a collaborative approach to work that matters.

You will bring:

• Substantial senior engineering experience in complex enterprise ICT environments, including at least ten years working in enterprise ICT and demonstrated engineering governance and quality assurance responsibilities.
• Practical systems engineering experience spanning requirements, design review, verification and validation, technical risk and transition into service, supported by a relevant engineering or ICT qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience chairing technical forums, constructively challenging evidence, applying systems thinking and achieving clear decisions with accountable follow-through.
• Broad technical understanding and demonstrated ability to identify cross-domain dependencies, manage risk and complex technical problems, engage specialist expertise and balance attention to detail with the broader engineering picture.
• Strong written and verbal communication, sound judgement and successful stakeholder engagement, with the ability to influence across multidisciplinary teams without relying on line management authority and to work effectively through ambiguity and change.
  

This role requires the successful applicant to be an Australian citizen, hold and be able to maintain a NV-1 security clearance.

If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. We value different experiences and are interested in the capability and potential you could bring.

Certain roles may be subject International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) requirements which may limit persons who hold dual nationality with certain proscribed countries from accessing material, or in the case of dual Australian-U.S citizens, may require the candidate to obtain a U.S. Persons Abroad authorisation from the U.S DDTC.

What to Expect When You Apply

Our hiring process is designed to be straightforward, respectful and easy to navigate. If your skills, experience and qualifications look aligned with the role, our Talent Acquisition team will contact you to discuss the next stage. You can expect:

• An initial conversation with our Talent Acquisition team
• An interview with the hiring manager or interview panel

We’ll let you know what to expect before each stage, including who you’ll meet and how to prepare. If you need any adjustments or support during the process, please let us know.

Ready to explore what’s possible?

If this sounds like a role where you can make an impact and continue to grow, we’d like to hear from you. Please apply via the “Apply Now” button with your resume. If you have any questions about the role or recruitment process, please contact careers.au@au.leidos.com.

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.