Lead Software Engineer (Remote)

8th Light

13h • $126,279 - $184,068 • Remote

About The Position

8th Light is a technology solutions consultancy that partners with organizations ranging from early-stage startups to large enterprises. The Lead Software Engineer serves as a lead technologist on client projects, typically working with one or two clients per year across varied technologies and frameworks. The role leads complex engagements and teams, contributes directly to project work, and helps deliver durable, high-quality software solutions tailored to client needs.

The position combines software engineering, technical leadership, architecture, client collaboration, and mentorship. The Lead Software Engineer works with clients and colleagues to address technical and non-technical challenges, make decisions amid ambiguity, balance technology choices against product and user needs, and guide work from discovery through production. The role also supports team health and 8th Light’s culture, develops skills, shares knowledge, and may contribute to workshops, community activities, and hiring.

8th Light is remote-first, with a distributed team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and hubs in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. Most consulting engagements do not require travel. Compensation for the US Lead Engineer position varies by geographic structure, with stated ranges from $126,279 to $184,068 USD.

Requirements

• Typically, 7 or more years of repeated success across a variety of projects.
• Ability to serve as a go-to leader for software development engagements and make an immediate impact through broad and deep expertise.
• Experience leading high-stakes consulting engagements from discovery to production.
• Experience collaboratively and incrementally building high-quality, maintainable software tailored to client needs.
• Production-quality coding experience with a variety of languages and frameworks, including Java, C#/.NET, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Go, Ruby, Rust, Scala, R, and SQL.
• Experience leveraging AI-assistive development tools for scaffolding, refactoring, debugging, test generation, and documentation.
• Experience building or integrating AI/ML-powered features into products or systems, such as recommendation engines, NLP models, computer vision, or predictive analytics.
• Experience using context-appropriate automated testing to inform software design and catch bugs.
• Experience debugging and refactoring existing code to improve it incrementally.
• Experience collaborating with teams using Git, MacOS/Linux, and CI/CD.
• Ability to address architecture-level concerns such as scalability, security, reliability, and performance.
• Experience bringing people with different functions and perspectives together to encourage idea sharing, collaboration, and problem solving.
• Ability to make thoughtful recommendations and set direction amid ambiguity.
• Ability to mentor colleagues and share knowledge.
• Ability to seek feedback and give it effectively.
• Empathetic communication with stakeholders and colleagues.
• Ability to collaborate with stakeholders to balance technical considerations with product and user needs.

Nice To Haves

• MLOps experience, including tools such as LangChain for application development and managing the machine-learning lifecycle.
• Data engineering experience, including platforms such as Databricks for data processing and analytics.
• DevSecOps and DevOps experience.
• Infrastructure as Code experience.

Responsibilities

• Make immediate contributions to projects and rapidly build trust with clients.
• Balance technology choices pragmatically while delivering high-quality work within deadlines.
• Lead architecture and software design discussions.
• Collaborate on systems involving the full machine-learning lifecycle, from data ingestion and preprocessing through deployment, integration, and performance monitoring.
• Generate potential solutions to technical and non-technical challenges with team members and clients.
• Lead or initiate formal feedback conversations with teams and clients, including retrospectives.
• Articulate and document outcomes clearly and drive action items forward.
• Support team health and 8th Light’s culture by modeling its values.
• Ensure the team has a healthy, prioritized, and estimated backlog.
• Manage high-level project roadmaps as team lead for large engagements.
• Maintain relationships with client technical leaders.
• Hold regular client syncs to provide status updates, identify and evaluate risks, and present potential solutions.
• Identify, mitigate, and resolve blockers to team progress.
• Contribute to 8th Light by mentoring, leading or designing internal or client workshops, representing the company in the technology community, or supporting hiring processes.

Benefits

• Robust learning and development program with unlimited access to thousands of books, courses, and expert-led training on the O’Reilly learning platform.
• Annual financial stipend and time allotment for learning and development.
• Coworking support for the global team.
• Flexible PTO.
• 12 weeks of new parent leave for eligible employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed