Senior Quality Assurance Engineer needed to lead quality, compliance, and performance governance across mission-critical Department of Defense cyber programs, including the Integrated Defensive Cyber System and U.S. Coast Guard cloud modernization. Ensures enterprise-level quality leadership through governance, data analytics, and process improvement in a hybrid work environment.
Responsibilities
- Act as the primary Quality Lead at the portfolio level for mission programs, overseeing quality, compliance, and performance governance in alignment with IDCS-M objectives.
- Provide strategic direction for the implementation, maintenance, and ongoing enhancement of the Quality Management System, ensuring adherence to contractual obligations, QASP metrics, SLAs, and internal governance standards.
- Integrate risk management practices across the portfolio in collaboration with Program Managers and Task Order leads, ensuring consistent identification, documentation, mitigation planning, and trend analysis of risks.
- Develop and institutionalize a formal Continual Improvement framework that delivers measurable gains in compliance, operational stability, efficiency, and organizational maturity.
- Lead internal audits, compliance assessments, and performance evaluations to detect systemic issues and ensure effective, sustainable resolutions to prevent recurrence.
- Conduct and supervise root cause analyses for performance or compliance deficiencies, ensuring corrective and preventive actions are implemented and verified.
- Monitor and analyze SLA and KPI performance using data analytics to anticipate risks, reduce variability, and improve contract execution.
- Utilize enterprise platforms such as SharePoint, configuration management repositories, AI-driven analytics, and governance systems to improve reporting transparency and decision-making.
- Collaborate with Program Managers, engineering teams, and functional leaders to reinforce operational discipline, strengthen governance, and maintain alignment during transitions or contract changes.
- Identify early warning indicators and prevention opportunities to promote a proactive, prevention-first quality culture across the portfolio.
- Prepare and deliver executive-level briefings on quality and risk posture to senior leadership and government stakeholders.
- Mentor junior quality staff and promote cross-functional collaboration and professional development.
- Support enterprise-wide quality strategy, governance alignment, and portfolio maturity initiatives to ensure long-term mission success.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with at least 12 years of professional experience, or a Master’s degree with 10 or more years of experience; relevant experience may substitute for degree requirements.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance as required by tasking.
- Proven experience leading quality functions on large-scale federal IT, cybersecurity, or mission-critical systems programs.
- Demonstrated experience implementing and managing Quality Management Systems (QMS) aligned with standards such as ISO 9001 or CMMI.
- Experience in measuring and managing SLA/KPI performance using data-driven analytics in operational environments.
- Experience conducting internal audits and managing corrective and preventive action programs (CAPA/CARs).
- Experience integrating risk management into program governance structures.
- Working knowledge of modern engineering environments, including DevSecOps, and the role of quality within them.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, and data analysis or reporting tools.
- Demonstrated use of structured process improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or similar.
Nice to Have
- Experience supporting DoD, Air Force, DHS, or Intelligence Community cybersecurity, cyber defense, or mission systems programs such as ACD, CDA, CVA/H, CDM, NOSC, or similar.
- Certification as an ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor or equivalent quality auditing credential.
- Experience working within CMMI-DEV, CMMI-SVC, or similar process maturity frameworks in complex federal settings.
- ITIL certification or experience supporting IT Service Management (ITSM) or enterprise service delivery environments.
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification or demonstrated leadership in advanced process improvement.
- Experience briefing senior government leadership on quality, risk, or performance metrics.
- Experience creating or implementing portfolio-level quality governance frameworks across large federal programs.
- Experience integrating risk management into performance-based DoD or federal contracts.
- Experience preparing for audits by DoD, Air Force, DHS, USCG, or federal oversight bodies such as DCMA, OIG, or internal audits.
- Experience using data analytics, dashboards, reporting platforms, or AI-enabled tools to improve mission performance and governance visibility.
- Working familiarity with DevSecOps, modern software pipelines, Platform One/Cloud One, or cyber mission environments.
- Experience supporting cyber weapon systems, defensive cyber platforms, or high-assurance mission environments.
- Experience supporting federal cloud modernization efforts, including IL-level, hybrid, or mission cloud migrations, particularly with USCG or DoD programs.
- Active DoD Secret clearance or higher is preferred.
Tech Stack
SharePoint, CM repositories, AI-enabled analytics, program governance systems, Microsoft Office Suite, data analysis tools, reporting tools
Compensation
Pay Range $92,300.00 - $166,850.00. Final offer may vary based on job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, collective bargaining agreements, or legal requirements.
Work Arrangement
hybrid — three days per week on-site, two days remote based on program needs and leadership direction
Team
enterprise-level team spanning multiple task orders; works cross-functionally with Program Management, Engineering, Cybersecurity, and DevSecOps teams; reports to a role not specified
- commitment to doing the right thing for customers, people, and community
- empowerment of teams
- dedication to customer success
- sustainable operations
- diverse and talented workforce
- outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo
- recruiting innovators and disruptors
- refusal to fail
Additional Information
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance (Secret, as required by tasking).
- Active DoD Secret clearance or higher is preferred.
- Hybrid work schedule: three days per week on-site, two days remote.
- Original Posting Date: March 11, 2026.
- 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.
- Leidos Engineering Edge NextGen (EENG) methodologies are followed.
- Supporting the Integrated Defensive Cyber System (IDCS) portfolio under the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC)/HNCD.
- Additional support to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cloud modernization initiatives.
- 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.
