Software Engineer - Skylight

About Skylight

Skylight is a digital consultancy dedicated to transforming government services through design and technology. We are at the forefront of a movement to modernize how government agencies serve citizens in the digital age. Join our growing team of public interest technologists and contribute to work that truly matters.

About the Job

As a Software Engineer at Skylight, you will design, implement, and maintain software systems that improve government services for users, including the public and our government partners. You will engineer software end-to-end, building accessible, Section 508-compliant interfaces and the robust APIs and services that power them, ensuring reliable and performant secure data exchanges. Working within a cross-functional team, you will deliver software that meets federal security standards. You will also contribute to growing the team's engineering capacity through coaching and knowledge sharing.

What You'll Do

• Engineer software products end-to-end (frontend and backend) as part of a cross-functional team including researchers, designers, product managers, and other engineers.
• Build accessible, Section 508-compliant interfaces and the APIs/services behind them, ensuring secure data exchanges are reliable and performant.
• Achieve technical excellence by advocating for and adhering to lean-agile engineering practices like API-first design, simple design, continuous integration, version control, and automated testing.
• Build secure, compliant software that meets federal security standards and defends against common vulnerabilities.
• Analyze systems to identify technical debt, instability, and areas for improvement, then design, document, and communicate solutions.
• Mentor other engineers and share knowledge to strengthen the team's engineering practice.

What We're Looking For

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to write clean, working, and reusable code across both frontend and backend.
• Capacity to produce high-quality code by adhering to good practices, including automated testing.
• Foundational understanding of data engineering and using datastores for persistent data.
• Familiarity with building secure, compliant software and defending against common vulnerabilities.
• Understanding of software system components and how they integrate, prioritizing performance, reliability, and availability.
• Commitment to user-centered design and understanding the impact of code.
• Experience mentoring engineers and setting technical direction (for staff and principal levels).
• Ability to work effectively in a professional services environment, including strong client communication skills.
• Passion for creating better public outcomes through improved government services.
• Alignment with our core values and work approach.
• Ability to travel for work from time to time.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications:

• Experience with databases and/or cloud infrastructure.
• Familiarity with CI/CD best practices.
• Experience with infrastructure as code (e.g., Docker, Terraform).
• Experience building software handling sensitive personal data (e.g., tax, financial, benefits).
• Prior experience in the civic tech space.
• Experience working in a remote team environment.

Don’t meet every qualification but think you can do the job? Apply anyway! We value candidates with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences.

Other Requirements

• All work must be conducted within the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories).
• Legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.
• May be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance as a government contractor.
• Successful completion of a company background check.
• Some roles on federal contracts may require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.

Position Type

Full-time, exempt.

Location

Fully remote.

Salary

Software Engineer Salary Ranges:

• Associate Software Engineer: $90,000–$125,000
• Software Engineer I: $120,000–$140,000
• Software Engineer II: $135,000–$160,000
• Senior Software Engineer: $150,000–$185,000
• Staff Software Engineer: $170,000–$203,000
• Principal Software Engineer: $180,000–$230,000

Exact compensation is determined by factors including seniority level, interview performance, and potentially geographic location. We aim to provide the most competitive salary based on these factors.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness: Medical, dental, vision insurance; short-term and long-term disability insurance; life and AD&D insurance; dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account.
• Retirement: Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of salary with no vesting period.
• Time Off: Flexible paid time-off policy (approx. 25 days/year) plus 11 paid federal holidays. Up to 12 weeks paid time off for eligible new parents.
• Performance Rewards: Annual salary increases, annual performance bonuses, spot bonuses, stock options, business development/sales bonuses, referral bonuses.
• Professional Development: Annual $2,000 allowance for professional development; Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases.
• Perks: Annual $100 swag budget; dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching (up to $500/year); flexible, remote-friendly work environment.

Interview Tips

• Visit our join page to learn more about our interview process.
• Check out our Career Pathways framework.
• Contact recruiting@skylight.digital for accommodation requests.

We participate in E-Verify. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.