Staff/Principal Software Engineer (HHS)

<h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">About Skylight</span></h2> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">About the job</span></h2> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">What you’ll do</span></h2> <ul> <li>Deliver production-ready software and own services through build, deployment, and operations</li> <li>Apply lean-agile engineering practices — including API-first development, trunk-based workflows, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), version control, and automated testing</li> <li>Standardize and automate environments with infrastructure as code (IaC) and policy as code to create secure, repeatable delivery</li> <li>Improve reliability and performance with observability practices such as metrics, logs, and traces, guided by service level objectives (SLOs)</li> <li>Modernize and integrate systems across cloud platforms and enterprise services, with a preference for open source where it fits</li> <li>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)</li> <li>Identify and reduce technical debt by analyzing stability and operability, then designing and communicating remediation plans</li> <li>Help federal teams sustain improvements by delivering training and enablement, and by leaving behind reusable resources such as templates, playbooks, and decision records</li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">What we're looking for</span></h2> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minimum qualifications</span></h3> <ul> <li>Experience writing clean, reliable, and reusable code for large-scale production systems</li> <li>Familiarity with modern delivery practices — CI/CD, automated testing, code review, and operating services in cloud environments</li> <li>Hands-on experience with IaC and environment automation</li> <li>Understanding of secure software practices and how to integrate compliance into delivery</li> <li>Knowledge of data persistence and patterns for building resilient, observable services</li> <li>Clear communication skills with executives and cross-functional teams</li> <li>Commitment to equipping federal teams with documentation, training, and mentoring to sustain improvements</li> <li>Ability to work effectively in a professional services environment</li> <li>Passion for improving public outcomes through great government services</li> <li>A mindset and work approach that align with Skylight’s <a href="https://skylight.digital/company/values/">core values</a></li> <li>Ability to spend time on‑site at HHS in Washington, DC — either by being based locally or by traveling regularly for in‑person work when it’s important</li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nice-to-have qualifications</span></h3> <ul> <li>Experience with containers and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)</li> <li>Background in application or cloud modernization, integrations, or data-intensive products</li> <li>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)</li> <li>Experience in civic tech, government, or other highly regulated environments</li> <li>Experience working effectively on hybrid or distributed teams</li> </ul> <p><em>Don’t meet 100% of the criteria but think you can do the job? We’d love to chat anyway! We’re on a mission to build diverse teams, and studies have shown that women and marginalized folks are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t check every box.</em></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other requirements</span></h2> <ul> <li>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.</li> <li>You must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. now and in the future without sponsorship.</li> <li>As a government contractor, you may be required to obtain a public trust or security clearance.</li> <li>You may be required to complete a company background check successfully.</li> <li>Some of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.</li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Position type</span></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a full-time, exempt position.</span></p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Location</span></h2> <p>This role requires some in-person time in Washington, DC. Candidates based in the DC area should be able to work on-site at HHS regularly. Candidates outside the area are also welcome to apply, as long as they can travel to DC frequently for on-site collaboration. A relocation incentive of up to $10,000 is available.</p> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Care package</span></h2> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Salary</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We want to give you the most competitive salary possible. After all, you deserve it! To that end, we use the results of our interview process to determine what salary is most appropriate given your current level of seniority. For a Software Engineer at Skylight, the current salary ranges are as follows:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Associate Software Engineer: $90,000–$125,000</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Software Engineer I: $120,000–$140,000</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Software Engineer II: $135,000–$160,000</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Senior Software Engineer: $150,000–$185,000</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Staff Software Engineer: $170,000–$203,000</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Principal Software Engineer: $180,000–$230,000</span></li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Benefits</span></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Your well-being is important to us, so we focus on supporting you in a variety of ways:</span></p> <ul> <li>Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance</li> <li>Short-term and long-term disability insurance</li> <li>Life and AD&amp;D insurance</li> <li>Dependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account</li> <li>Dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period</li> <li>Flexible paid time-off-policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays</li> <li>Up to 12 weeks paid-time-off for all eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents</li> <li>Performance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options</li> <li>Business development / sales bonuses</li> <li>Referral bonuses</li> <li>Annual $2,000 allowance for professional development</li> <li>Annual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases</li> <li>Annual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies, hats, and more)</li> <li>Dollar-for-dollar charity donation matching, up to $500 per year</li> <li>Flexible, remote-friendly work environment</li> <li>An environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good</li> </ul> <h2><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interview tips</span></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We want you to have a great interview experience with us! Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful interview:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Visit our</span><a href="https://skylight.digital/careers/join/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></a><a href="https://skylight.digital/careers/join/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">join page</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to learn more about how our interview process works.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check out our</span><a href="https://skylight.digital/careers/career-pathways/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Career Pathways framework</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to learn more about the different roles within Skylight and the skills needed to do them.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’d like to request reasonable accommodations during the application or interviewing process, please contact our recruiting team at <a href="mailto:recruiting@skylight.digital" target="_blank">recruiting@skylight.digital</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></li> </ul> <p><em>We participate in E-Verify and upon hire, will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you’re authorized to work in the U.S.</em></p> <p><em>We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.</em></p>