Skylight is looking to solve the problem of government agencies delivering better public services by using design and technology. The specific role aims to modernize a major effort at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make government services more reliable and accessible.
Requirements
- Ability to write clean, reliable, and reusable code for large-scale production systems
- Experience with modern delivery — continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), automated testing, code review, and operating services in cloud environments
- Hands-on experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) and environment automation
- Strong understanding of secure software practices and how to integrate compliance into delivery
- Working knowledge of data persistence and patterns for building resilient, observable services
- Experience with containers and orchestration, such as Docker or Kubernetes
- Background in application or cloud modernization, integrations, or data-intensive products
Responsibilities
- Deliver production-ready software as part of a cross-functional team and own services through build, deployment, and operations
- Apply lean-agile engineering practices — API-first, simple design, trunk-based development, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), version control, 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 meaningful observability — metrics, logs, traces — and use service level objectives (SLOs) to guide engineering work
- Modernize and integrate systems across cloud platforms and existing enterprise services, with a preference for open source where it fits
- Build in security, privacy, and accessibility from day one — evidence automation for compliance, defense against common vulnerabilities, and Section 508 accessibility standards
- Identify and reduce technical debt by analyzing stability and operability, then designing and communicating clear remediation plans
Other
- Commitment to capacity building — mentoring, documenting, and transferring knowledge so teams can continue improving after you
- Ability to communicate clearly with executives and cross-functional teams in a professional services environment
- Passion for creating better public outcomes through great government services
- A mindset and work approach that align with Skylight's core values
- 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
