Staff/Principal Software Engineer, Consulting (U. S. Air Force)

Skylight

3h•$170,000 - $230,000•Remote

About The Position

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. This role focuses on advisory engagements where the deliverable is guidance, assessment, or technical strategy rather than delivering code. Skylight has partnered with the U.S. Air Force across multiple legacy modernization efforts, including modernization of legacy systems, new capability development in multi-vendor environments, and iteration on established platforms within an agile transformation and broader organizational change. The engineer will assess legacy systems, shape the technical strategy for modernizing them, and pair directly with government engineers to improve software development practices. This involves participating in architecture reviews, working sessions with vendors and Air Force teams, and hands-on demonstrations of modern, AI-assisted engineering practices. The first 30 days involve learning the client's domain and organization, and enabling government partners. The client is in an early- to mid-transformation phase, so organizational and operational change should be expected.

Requirements

Ability to write clean, working, and reusable code.
Understand the different pieces of software systems and how to fit them together, while keeping performance, reliability, and availability in mind.
Familiar with how to build secure, compliant software and defend against common vulnerabilities.
Experience evaluating existing systems and communicating technical findings and recommendations to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
Comfort holding architectural decision rights on a multi-vendor engagement, and making the tradeoffs legible to non-technical stakeholders.
Experience working in agile software development.
Interest in mentoring, coaching, and pairing with government partners so they can carry the work forward.
Experience working on cross-functional teams (product, design, engineering, ops) in iterative delivery.
A mindset and work approach that aligns with our core values.
U.S. citizenship.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Common Access Card (CAC), which requires a favorable background check.
Successful completion of a company background check.

Nice To Haves

Military or government experience.
Experience leading legacy modernization efforts or reverse-engineering legacy applications where the code, the documentation, and stakeholder knowledge don't agree.
Experience with web-based tech stacks (e.g., Java/React) and cloud infrastructure.
Experience coaching other engineers on the failure modes of AI-assisted development.
Experience delivering technology in government, regulated industries, or other public-benefit settings.
A track record of staying aligned and accountable on remote teams.

Responsibilities

Assess legacy applications and their technical environments to identify technical debt, instability, and other opportunities for improvement, then design, document, and communicate solutions.
Own the modernization strategy, technical direction, architectural decisions, and test strategy for the modernization, in collaboration with government engineers and partner vendors but accountable for the result.
Advocate for and model lean-agile engineering practices such as API-first design, simple design, continuous integration, version control, and automated testing.
Guide teams toward secure, compliant software that meets federal security standards and defends against common vulnerabilities.
Pair with and coach government engineers so modern practices, including AI-assisted development, stick after you’ve moved on.
Collaborate with product managers, researchers, and designers so technical recommendations serve user and mission needs.

Benefits

Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance
Short-term and long-term disability insurance
Life and AD&D insurance
Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account
Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period
Flexible paid-time-off policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays
Up to 12 weeks paid-time-off for all eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents
Performance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options
Business development / sales bonuses
Referral bonuses
Annual $2000 allowance for professional development
Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases
Annual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies, hats, and more)
Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good