Staff/Principal Software Engineer (HHS)

Skylight

1d•Remote

About The Position

Skylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. We’re at the forefront of a civic movement to reinvent how all levels of government serve families, patients, and many others in today's digital world. If you want to play a part in driving this critical movement forward, we’d love for you to join our growing team of public interest technologists. The work we do matters. At Skylight, software engineers design, build, and operate production systems that make government services more reliable and accessible for the people who depend on them. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching one of the most ambitious transformations in government — and this is a rare chance to be part of it. You’ll join a high-impact team of product managers, researchers, designers, engineers, and security experts working side-by-side with HHS leadership to modernize the systems people rely on to access healthcare, strengthen cybersecurity that protects personal data, launch digital services used by tens of millions every day, and integrate data and AI responsibly into daily work across the department so teams at every level can make smarter, safer decisions. As a software engineer on this project, you’ll deliver production-ready software as part of a cross-functional team and support services through build, deployment, and operations. You’ll apply modern engineering practices, build secure and resilient systems, and reduce technical debt to improve stability. Just as importantly, you’ll prepare federal teams to sustain these improvements by sharing knowledge and practices that last — from training and enablement to reusable tools like templates, playbooks, and decision records.

Requirements

Experience writing clean, reliable, and reusable code for large-scale production systems
Familiarity with modern delivery practices — CI/CD, automated testing, code review, and operating services in cloud environments
Hands-on experience with IaC and environment automation
Understanding of secure software practices and how to integrate compliance into delivery
Knowledge of data persistence and patterns for building resilient, observable services
Clear communication skills with executives and cross-functional teams
Commitment to equipping federal teams with documentation, training, and mentoring to sustain improvements
Ability to work effectively in a professional services environment
Passion for improving public outcomes through great government services
A mindset and work approach that align with Skylight’s core values
Ability to travel for work from time to time
All work must be conducted within the U.S., excluding U.S. territories.
Some federal contracts require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment.
You must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.
As a government contractor, you may be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance.
You may be required to complete a company background check successfully.
Some of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.

Nice To Haves

Experience with containers and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
Background in application or cloud modernization, integrations, or data-intensive products
Familiarity with compliance environments such as Authority to Operate (ATO), the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), or the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA)
Experience in civic tech, government, or other highly regulated environments
Experience working effectively on hybrid or distributed teams

Responsibilities

Deliver production-ready software and own services through build, deployment, and operations
Apply lean-agile engineering practices — including API-first development, trunk-based workflows, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), trunk-based workflows, version control, and automated testing
Standardize and automate environments with infrastructure as code (IaC) and policy as code to create secure, repeatable delivery
Improve reliability and performance with observability practices such as metrics, logs, and traces, guided by service level objectives (SLOs)
Modernize and integrate systems across cloud platforms and enterprise services, with a preference for open source where it fits
Build in security, privacy, and accessibility from day one — including evidence automation for compliance and adherence to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508)
Identify and reduce technical debt by analyzing stability and operability, then designing and communicating remediation plans
Help federal teams sustain improvements by delivering training and enablement, and by leaving behind reusable resources such as templates, playbooks, and decision records

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 $2,000 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)
Dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching, up to $500 per year
Flexible, remote-friendly work environment
An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good
Relocation incentive of up to $10,000