Principal Software Engineer – Group Lead

About Skylight

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.

About the job

At Skylight, group leads combine hands-on technical expertise with leadership across multiple teams. They set direction, guide engineering practices, and create the conditions for technical delivery that is secure, resilient, and scalable.

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 secure 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 that protect both people and systems.

As a software engineering group lead on this project, you’ll set the technical direction across squads while staying hands-on with the work. You’ll mentor and support technical leads and engineers specializing in DevOps, security, and data; uphold modern engineering and security standards; and partner with product and design leadership to deliver secure, user-centered solutions. Just as importantly, you’ll enable federal teams to sustain improvements by embedding modern practices, automation, and reusable playbooks that continue delivering value long after the contract ends.

What you’ll do

• Manage and mentor technical leads and engineers specializing in DevOps, security, and data across squads
• Provide architectural guidance and technical oversight for cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Appian)
• Standardize engineering practices across squads, including continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), infrastructure as code (IaC), observability, and secure DevOps
• Partner with product and design leads to ensure technical delivery aligns with user needs and HHS OCIO priorities
• Embed compliance and security into delivery from the start, supporting evidence automation and continuous Authority to Operate (ATO) practices
• Translate leadership direction from HHS CIO/CTO into practical, secure technical solutions
• Collaborate with government technical leaders as a trusted peer, advising on enterprise modernization
• Help federal staff sustain improvements by providing training, mentoring, and reusable tools

What we're looking for

Minimum qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams delivering complex, production systems at enterprise scale
• Hands-on skills in modern engineering practices such as CI/CD, automated testing, infrastructure as code, and observability
• Deep knowledge of cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or similar)
• Clear communication skills with both executives and cross-functional teams
• Ability to mentor engineers, provide architectural direction, and uphold the engineering bar
• 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

Nice-to-have qualifications

• Experience building and scaling engineering teams or founding new teams
• Familiarity with secure software practices and compliance frameworks (e.g., the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program [FedRAMP], NIST 800-53, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act [FISMA])
• Experience with containers and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Background in platform engineering, application modernization, or enterprise shared services
• Familiarity with continuous ATO and evidence automation
• Experience guiding cost, performance, and reliability tradeoffs across multiple teams
• Track record of mentoring engineers and growing engineering practices across organizations
• Experience working effectively on hybrid or distributed teams
• Ability to spend time on-site at HHS in Washington, DC — either by being based locally or by traveling periodically for in-person collaboration

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.

Other requirements

• 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.

Position type

This is a full-time, exempt position.

Location

This is a remote-friendly role. You can be based anywhere in the U.S. Candidates in the Washington, DC area, or those willing to travel there periodically for in-person collaboration, are especially encouraged to apply.

Care package

Salary

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:

• 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

Benefits

Your well-being is important to us, so we focus on supporting you in a variety of ways:

• 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

Interview tips

We want you to have a great interview experience with us! Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful interview:

• Visit ourjoin page to learn more about how our interview process works.
• Check out ourCareer Pathways framework to learn more about the different roles within Skylight and the skills needed to do them.
• If you’d like to request reasonable accommodations during the application or interviewing process, please contact our recruiting team at [email protected].

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.

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.