| Overall Score | 3.7 | 3.5 |
| Type | US Defense / IT Services | US Government IT / Defense |
| Employees | 48000 | 24000 |
| Founded | 2013 (spin-off from SAIC) | 2013 (post-split) |
| Headquarters | Reston, Virginia, USA | Reston, Virginia, USA |
| Revenue | $16.0B | $7.5B |
| Salary Range | $70,000 - $180,000 | $70,000 - $170,000 |
| Specialties | Defense IT, Cybersecurity, AI & Data, C4ISR, Digital Transformation, Biomedical | Government IT, Cloud, AI & Data, Cybersecurity, Digital Engineering, Defense Systems |
| Certifications | ISO 27001, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53, CMMI Level 5, AWS Partner | ISO 27001, FedRAMP, CMMI Level 5, AWS Partner, Microsoft Partner |
| Green Flags | Dominant US defense and intelligence IT contractor β mission-critical work
Strong technical depth in AI, cybersecurity, C4ISR, and biomedical
Fortune 500 stability with consistent revenue and earnings growth
Excellent benefits and pension for US-based defense sector employees
Science and engineering culture from heritage roots (SAIC spin-off) | Premier US government and defense IT contractor with 50+ year legacy
Deep expertise in cloud migration, AI/ML, and digital engineering for DoD
Strong clearance portfolio β works across all major US intelligence agencies
Fortune 500 financial stability with consistent government contract backlog
Good work-life balance by defense contractor standards |
| Red Flags | Security clearance requirement limits talent pool significantly
US-based only β limited international career mobility
Government contracting bureaucracy slows innovation and agility
Below-market compensation compared to commercial tech sector
Ethical concerns around defense work may conflict with personal values | Security clearance dependency restricts hiring and career mobility
Below-market compensation compared to commercial cloud/tech roles
Government contracting bureaucracy limits innovation pace
US-only presence β zero international career opportunities
Spin-off culture (Leidos split) still creating identity challenges |
| Worker Pros | Mission-critical work with national security impact
Excellent benefits and pension for US defense employees
Fortune 500 financial stability
Deep AI, cyber, and C4ISR technical depth | Mission-driven work with national security impact
Fortune 500 stability and government contract backlog
Good work-life balance for defense contractor
Deep cloud and AI/ML expertise in government context |
| Worker Cons | Security clearance process is slow and restrictive
Below-market comp vs commercial tech
Limited international exposure β US-centric
Government contracting red tape slows everything
Defense work ethics may conflict with personal values | Clearance requirement creates hiring bottleneck
Below-market comp vs commercial tech sector
Zero international presence or mobility
Government contracting overhead slows innovation |