{"id":3188560,"url":"https://alion.io/job/skylight-seniorstaff-software-engineer-testing-u-s-air-force","title":"Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Testing (U.S. Air Force)","company":{"id":684855,"name":"Skylight","domain":"skylighthq.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/skylighthq","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.667,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":25,"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"staff","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":90000,"max":125000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":125000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"GitLab CI","optional":true},{"name":"Selenium","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-24T00:29:43Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-24","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T20:38:01Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"About Skylight\nSkylight is a digital consultancy using design and technology to help government agencies deliver better public services. \nWe’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.\nIf 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. \nThe work we do matters.\nAbout the job\nAt Skylight, software engineers design, implement, and maintain software systems to improve government services for users. This software is built to meet the needs of regular users of government services as well as Skylight’s partners in government.\nSkylight is partnering with a U.S. Air Force program office that runs a portfolio of civil engineering systems. These systems serve users across civil engineering, security forces, and services, including readiness managers, range personnel, and fire and emergency services. Releases are slow today. Regression testing is manual, security review happens after development finishes, and code freeze to production can take a month or more. We’ll move the program to an outcome-driven model with test automation and security built into the pipeline, starting with migrating the first application onto a DoD software factory. Leadership wants this office to become the model other Air Force offices adopt.\nIn this role, you’ll own test strategy across the portfolio and lead the move from manual to automated regression, so the team can ship with confidence and say clearly when a release is ready.\nWhat to know going in\nYour first 30 days are about working with the Skylight team and government personnel, learning how the program office gets changes to users today, and understanding where testing and security slow things down. This is new work that replaces a traditional support model, so part of the job is coaching your government partners to keep these practices running after we leave. Expect to work alongside government engineers and other contractors, with tools and processes changing as the work gets underway.\nThis role is contingent on Skylight being awarded the underlying contract. If we’re not awarded the contract, we’ll let you know promptly and discuss whether there are other opportunities that fit.\nWhat you’ll do\nDesign the test strategy for a portfolio of web applications, and decide pragmatically what to automate first\nBuild automated regression suites and integrate them into the CI/CD pipeline\nMove the team from manual to automated regression testing, shrinking the time from code freeze to production\nLead a shared pool of four test engineers starting in February, and help them grow\nCommunicate release confidence clearly to non-technical stakeholders\nPair with and coach government testers and engineers so automated testing sticks after we leave\nWhat we’re looking for\nBasic qualifications\nAbility to write clean, working, and reusable code\nFamiliar with how to build secure, compliant software and defend against common vulnerabilities\nUnderstand the different pieces of software systems and how to fit them together, while keeping performance, reliability, and availability in mind\nUnderstand the importance of always putting users at the center of your work, including thinking through the impact and implications of any code that you write\nExperience designing test strategy and building automated regression suites for web applications\nExperience leading testers or a test effort\nExperience working in a government or regulated environment with formal security authorization (ATO)\nExperience working on cross-functional teams (product, design, engineering, ops) in iterative delivery\nA track record of staying aligned and accountable on remote teams\nA mindset and work approach that aligns with our core values\nNice-to-haves\nExperience with Selenium or behavior-driven test tools like Cucumber, and test case management in Zephyr Scale\nExperience integrating automated tests into CI/CD, ideally GitLab CI\nExperience testing COTS-based systems such as Esri or IBM TRIRIGA\nExperience using AI-assisted tools for test generation, paired with disciplined review\nExperience delivering technology in government, regulated industries, or other public-benefit settings\nDon’t meet every qualification but think you can do the job? We’d still love to hear from you. If you’re excited about the role, apply. We consider candidates with a range of backgrounds and experiences.\nOther requirements\nSome of our available roles are on federal contracts that require a degree or additional years of experience as a substitute.\nAll work must be conducted within the U.S., excluding U.S. territories.\nThis contract requires U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment.\nYou must be able to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC) and any special access required for this contract.\nYou must complete a company background check successfully.\nLogistics\nPosition type\nThis is a full-time, exempt position.\nLocation\nThis is a fully remote position.\nTravel\nThis role includes occasional travel to Montgomery, AL, and other U.S. Air Force bases.\nExpected start date\nWe’re targeting a start date of November 30, 2026, pending contract award.\nCare package\nSalary\nWe 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:\nAssociate Software Engineer: $90,000-$125,000\nSoftware Engineer I: $120,000-$140,000\nSoftware Engineer II: $135,000-$160,000\nSenior Software Engineer: $150,000-$185,000\nStaff Software Engineer: $170,000-$203,000\nPrincipal Software Engineer: $180,000-$230,000\nBenefits\nYour well-being is important to us, so we focus on supporting you in a variety of ways:\nMedical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance\nShort-term and long-term disability insurance\nLife and AD&D insurance\nDependent care FSA, healthcare FSA, health savings account\nDollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 10% of your salary with no vesting period\nFlexible paid-time-off policy (generally around 25 days per year), plus 11 paid federal holidays\nUp to 12 weeks paid-time-off for all eligible new birth, adoption, or foster parents\nPerformance rewards, including annual salary increase, annual performance bonus, spot bonuses, and stock options\nBusiness development / sales bonuses\nReferral bonuses\nAnnual $2,000 allowance for professional development\nAnnual $750 allowance for tech-related purchases\nAnnual swag budget of $100 to display your Skylight pride with some merchandise (hoodies, hats, and more)\nFlexible, remote-friendly work environment\nAn environment that empowers you to unleash your superpowers for public good\nInterview tips\nOur process includes a preliminary screen, a skills interview, a behavioral interview, and a reverse interview where you meet your potential team - usually four conversations across two to three weeks. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a successful interview:\nVisit our join page to learn more about how our interview process works.\nCheck out our Career Pathways framework to learn more about the different roles within Skylight and the skills needed to do them.\nBrowse our case studies to learn more about our work.\nIf you’d like to request reasonable accommodations during the application or interviewing process, please contact our recruiting team at .\nWe 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.\nWe are an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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