8th Light

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will guide technical direction and solve complex problems while building trust with clients. You will also lead the development of high-quality software and advise on architecture and scalability. | Candidates should have over 10 years of experience in software engineering with a proven track record in high-stakes consulting engagements. Experience with various programming languages and AI/ML integration is essential. | Who We Are At 8th Light, we bring life to the best ideas. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, we are a technology solutions provider that partners with organizations to solve meaningful challenges and drive sustainable growth. From early-stage startups to global enterprises, we work across industries to optimize our clients’ digital products through product strategy innovation, experiential design, AI solutions, and deep engineering expertise. Our commitment to quality means we deliver solutions we’re truly proud of, while our curiosity sparks innovation and breakthrough thinking. 8th Lights thrive in an environment that champions continuous education, fueling our growth through mentorship and hands-on work. We foster an open, collaborative culture grounded in honesty that builds trust, and believe true success is measured by the outcomes we create for our clients. If this kind of work and our kind of people energizes you, you’ve found the right place. Who You Are You’ve shown long-term repeated success on a variety of projects, typically over the course of 10+ years. You are a trusted expert and leader, often called upon to guide ambiguous initiatives and architect scalable solutions. You bring a blend of deep consulting acumen, technical expertise, and product thinking that drives measurable and impactful outcomes. In your previous experience, you have: Demonstrated long-term success on high-stakes consulting engagements across multiple language paradigms, stacks, ecosystems, technical environments, and client industries Built high-quality, maintainable software collaboratively, incrementally, and through an approach tailored towards the unique needs of the clients you’ve served Led the development and delivery of production-grade software using a variety of languages and frameworks, including but not limited to: Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Ruby, Scala, R, SQL, and Go Evaluated and strategically applied AI-assistive development tools to accelerate delivery and improve quality A track record of understanding, assessing, and embracing new tooling and trends within the software industry Experience building or integrating AI/ML-powered features into products or systems (e.g., recommendation engines, NLP models, computer vision, predictive analytics) Used context-appropriate automated testing to inform software design choices and catch bugs Successfully led modernization efforts to align legacy systems with short and long-term business needs Remedied architecture-level concerns such as scalability, security, reliability, and performance Facilitated alignment and collaboration across technical and non-technical stakeholders to move initiatives forward in the face of ambiguity and complexity while balancing technical considerations with product and user needs Provided mentorship and team support at scale, while sharing knowledge and improving team practices Actively sought out and effectively given feedback Collaboratively led stakeholders to balance technical considerations with product and user needs What You’ll Do At 8th Light As a go-to technologist and strategist within 8th Light, you’ll work with a variety of clients, typically one to two in a year, while continuing to deepen your and our collective domain expertise over the course of your career with us. You’ll be responsible for: Rapidly building trust with clients, demonstrating technical expertise and understanding of their domain and objectives Guiding technical direction, solving complex problems, and demonstrating best practices while remaining deeply engaged within the codebase Working pragmatically to balance technology choices while delivering high-quality work within deadlines Advising clients on architecture, scalability and platform evolution, connecting technical decisions to product and business outcomes Collaborating on systems that involve the full ML lifecycle from data ingestion and preprocessing, to model deployment, integration, and performance monitoring Driving innovation by proactively surfacing new technical approaches and product solutions Leading or initiating formal feedback conversations with teams and clients via retrospectives Clearly articulating and documenting outcomes and driving forward action items Contributing to the health of your team and 8th Light’s culture by modeling our Values Designing and managing high-level technical roadmaps for large engagements Building your network and maintaining relationships with clients and other industry leaders within your domain Coaching client engineering teams, transferring knowledge and leveling up practices Influencing client CTOs and executive decisions. Planning and execute technical work that involves stakeholders outside of project boundaries such as across a client's technical organization Participating in account planning; opportunity identification. Facilitating retrospectives, strategy sessions, and technical deep-dives to improve team and project outcomes Identifying, mitigating, and resolving blockers to team progress Contributing to 8th Light by serving as a mentor, leading or designing workshops internally or for clients, representing 8th Light in the tech community, or supporting our hiring processes Demonstrating leadership in scalable system design, modular architecture, and platform- or product-oriented development. Bringing depth in testing strategies, observability, fault tolerance, and secure engineering practices. Applying architectural patterns to evaluate tradeoffs and drive clear, documented design rationale. Strongly Preferred Skills We work across many areas, and encourage anyone with the experience listed above to apply. We would particularly like to encourage applicants with experience in the following areas: DevSecOps & DevOps MLOps Infrastructure as Code Data Engineering Building a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is an ongoing journey, and we’re excited to keep learning and growing together. We have a proud tradition of hiring talented colleagues with real-world career experiences. How You’ll be Supported At 8th Light, we believe our people are our greatest asset. Their growth, well-being, and success shape our future. Our wellness package is designed with the Whole YOU in mind and includes: A robust L&D program with a learning budget and in-person learning opportunities Coworking support for our global team Flexible PTO Wellness days 12 weeks of new parent leave available for eligible employees Transparent semi-annual promotion panel See our full list of Benefits. A Note on Compensation At 8th Light, we are committed to a compensation philosophy that is transparent, fair, and helps us attract and retain top talent in alignment with our company’s strategic growth goals and clients’ needs. We benchmark our salaries using Geographic Structures to establish competitive pay ranges within the regions where 8th Lights live. Our pay ranges for our Lead Engineer position within our four US structures are as follows: Structure 1 (Tampa Metro, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin) RANGE: $151,535-$189,418 USD Structure 2 (Chicago Metro, Miami Metro, Philadelphia Metro, Raleigh Metro ) RANGE: $159,240-$199,050 USD Structure 3 (Austin Metro, Boston Metro , DC Metro) RANGE: $169,513-$211,892 USD Structure 4 (Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City) RANGE: $176,705- $220,881 USD Reach out to recruiting@8thlight.com for more relevant information pertaining to your local market. 8th Light is Remote-First We are a distributed team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In most cases, our consulting engagements do not require travel. Whether you choose to work remotely or join us in person at one of our offices in Chicago or London, we’re committed to supporting a strong team culture. For team members outside of those cities, we offer access to coworking spaces to foster continued collaboration and connection across our global team. We hope to see you apply! #LI-Remote

As a lead technologist, you will make immediate contributions to projects and lead architecture and software design discussions. You will also manage project roadmaps and maintain relationships with client technical leaders. | Candidates should have 7+ years of experience in software development and a proven track record of leading high-stakes consulting engagements. Proficiency in multiple programming languages and experience with AI/ML features are essential. | Who We Are At 8th Light, we bring life to the best ideas. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, we are a technology solutions provider that partners with organizations to solve meaningful challenges and drive sustainable growth. From early-stage startups to global enterprises, we work across industries to optimize our clients’ digital products through product strategy innovation, experiential design, AI solutions, and deep engineering expertise. Our commitment to quality means we deliver solutions we’re truly proud of, while our curiosity sparks innovation and breakthrough thinking. 8th Lights thrive in an environment that champions continuous education, fueling our growth through mentorship and hands-on work. We foster an open, collaborative culture grounded in honesty that builds trust, and believe true success is measured by the outcomes we create for our clients. If this kind of work and our kind of people energizes you, you’ve found the right place. Who You Are You’ve shown long-term repeated success on a variety of projects, typically over the course of 7+ years. You can be the go-to leader for any software development engagement. You have a broad and deep range of expertise that allows you to make an immediate impact on projects. In your previous experience, you have: Successfully led high-stakes consulting engagements from discovery to production Built high-quality, maintainable software collaboratively, incrementally, and through an approach tailored towards the unique needs of the clients you’ve served Written production-quality code using a variety of languages and frameworks, including but not limited to: Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Ruby, Scala, R, SQL, and Go Leveraged AI-assistive development tools for tasks like scaffolding, refactoring, debugging, test generation, and documentation Experience building or integrating AI/ML-powered features into products or systems (e.g., recommendation engines, NLP models, computer vision, predictive analytics) Used context-appropriate automated testing to inform software design choices and catch bugs Debugged and refactored pre-existing code to incrementally improve it Collaborated with teams using Git, MacOS/Linux, and CI/CD Remedied architecture-level concerns such as scalability, security, reliability, and performance Brought together people from different functions and perspectives in forums that encourage idea sharing, collaboration, and problem solving Made thoughtful recommendations and set direction in the face of ambiguity Mentored and shared knowledge with colleagues Actively sought out and effectively given feedback Communicated empathically with stakeholders and colleagues Collaboratively led stakeholders to balance technical considerations with product and user needs What You’ll Do At 8th Light As a lead technologist on projects, you’ll work with a variety of clients, typically one to two in a year, through a variety of technologies and frameworks over the course of your career with us. You’ll lead more complicated projects, leading teams to do so. You’ll work with colleagues who share your passion for technology solutions. You’ll invest time developing your skills and sharing what you know. You’ll be responsible for: Making immediate contributions to projects, rapidly building trust with clients Working pragmatically to balance technology choices while delivering high-quality work within deadlines Leading architecture and software design discussions Collaborating on systems that involve the full ML lifecycle from data ingestion and preprocessing, to model deployment, integration, and performance monitoring Generating new potential solutions to challenges (technical and non-technical) in partnership with team members and clients Leading or initiating formal feedback conversations with teams and clients via retrospectives Clearly articulating and documenting outcomes and driving forward action items Contributing to the health of your team and 8th Light’s culture by modeling our Values Ensuring your team has a healthy, prioritized, estimated backlog Managing high-level project roadmaps as the team lead for large engagements Maintaining relationships with client technical leaders Regular syncs with the client to provide status updates, and for identifying and evaluating risks and presenting potential solutions Identifying, mitigating, and resolving blockers to team progress Contributing to 8th Light by serving as a mentor, leading or designing workshops internally or for clients, representing 8th Light in the tech community, or supporting our hiring processes Strongly Preferred Skills We work across many areas, and encourage anyone with the experience listed above to apply. We would particularly like to encourage applicants with experience in the following areas: DevSecOps & DevOps MLOps Infrastructure as Code Data Engineering Building a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is an ongoing journey, and we’re excited to keep learning and growing together. We have a proud tradition of hiring talented colleagues with real-world career experiences. How You’ll be Supported At 8th Light, we believe our people are our greatest asset. Their growth, well-being, and success shape our future. Our wellness package is designed with the Whole YOU in mind and includes: A robust L&D program with a learning budget and in-person learning opportunities Coworking support for our global team Flexible PTO Wellness days 12 weeks of new parent leave available for eligible employees Transparent semi-annual promotion panel See our full list of Benefits. A Note on Compensation At 8th Light, we are committed to a compensation philosophy that is transparent, fair, and helps us attract and retain top talent in alignment with our company’s strategic growth goals and clients’ needs. We benchmark our salaries using Geographic Structures to establish competitive pay ranges within the regions where 8th Lights live. Our pay ranges for our Lead Engineer position within our four US structures are as follows: Structure 1 (Tampa Metro, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin) RANGE: $126,279-$157,849 USD Structure 2 (Chicago Metro, Miami Metro, Philadelphia Metro, Raleigh Metro ) RANGE: $132,700-$165,875 USD Structure 3 (Austin Metro, Boston Metro , DC Metro) RANGE: $141,261-$176,576 USD Structure 4 (Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City) RANGE: $147,254-$184,068 USD Reach out to recruiting@8thlight.com for more relevant information pertaining to your local market. 8th Light is Remote-First We are a distributed team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In most cases, our consulting engagements do not require travel. Whether you choose to work remotely or join us in person at one of our offices in Chicago or London, we’re committed to supporting a strong team culture. For team members outside of those cities, we offer access to coworking spaces to foster continued collaboration and connection across our global team. We hope to see you apply! #LI-Remote

As the Software Delivery Lead, you will oversee client engagements, ensuring team health and effective delivery planning. You will serve as the primary contact for clients, driving project outcomes and fostering strong relationships. | Candidates should have at least 6 years of experience in software delivery and project oversight, with a strong focus on quality and client success. Experience with Agile methodologies and progressive delivery practices is essential. | Who We Are At 8th Light, we bring life to the best ideas. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, we are a technology solutions provider that partners with organizations to solve meaningful challenges and drive sustainable growth. From early-stage startups to global enterprises, we work across industries to optimize our clients’ digital products through product strategy innovation, experiential design, AI solutions, and deep engineering expertise. Our commitment to quality means we deliver solutions we’re truly proud of, while our curiosity sparks innovation and breakthrough thinking. 8th Lights thrive in an environment that champions continuous education, fueling our growth through mentorship and hands-on work. We foster an open, collaborative culture grounded in honesty that builds trust, and believe true success is measured by the outcomes we create for our clients. If this kind of work and our kind of people energizes you, you’ve found the right place. Who You Are You’ve demonstrated long-term, repeated software delivery and project oversight success, typically over the course of 6+ years. Your focus on quality, client success, and engagement team health allows you to make an immediate impact on any client engagement across a variety of industries. You have: Hands-on experience with a variety of project management and delivery methodologies and frameworks including fluency with Agile (Scrum, Kanban) and the judgment to tailor cadence and rituals to context. Experience with progressive delivery practices (feature flags, canary/blue-green, phased rollouts, experimentation) alongside Agile frameworks. Utilized progressive elaboration (rolling-wave planning) to iteratively refine scope, estimates, and plans based on evidence and learning, ensuring a successful outcome and partnership with clients. Created inclusive cross-functional forums that enable discovery, idea sharing, and problem-solving. Brought along stakeholders to align and prioritize technical and design strategy with product goals and user needs. Developed change management and communication plans in support of successful implementations. Made thoughtful recommendations and set direction in the face of ambiguity Mentored and shared knowledge with colleagues, contributing to their professional growth and the team's overall capabilities. Successfully developed and led a team of direct reports through mentorship and performance management. Communicated effectively and empathically with stakeholders and colleagues. What You’ll Do At 8th Light As the go-to engagement leader, you’ll work across several clients on a variety of different engagements. You’ll take ownership of team health, delivery planning and oversight, and client relationships in partnership with account and practice leaders. You’ll also: Serve as the primary point of contact for clients fostering strong relationships with their key engagement stakeholders. Drive delivery/engagement charter. Generate new potential solutions to challenges (technical and non-technical) in partnership with team members and clients. Develop and maintain multi-horizon roadmaps and delivery backlogs in collaboration with clients and internal teams. Define release strategies and delivery sequencing to create an executable, milestone-driven plan. Design change management and communication plans in collaboration with the engagement and client team. Articulate and document project outcomes with clarity, delivering on key engagement outcomes. Lead or initiate formal feedback conversations with teams and clients via retrospectives. Regularly sync with the account team and clients to provide status updates, identify and evaluate risks, and present potential solutions. Identify, mitigate, and resolve blockers to team progress. Contribute to the health of your team and 8th Light’s culture by modeling our Values. Manage and coach direct reports; sustain team health and capability growth, meeting with them 1:1 on a regular basis to support their career journey at 8th Light. Contribute to 8th Light by serving as a mentor, leading or designing workshops internally or for clients, representing 8th Light in the tech community, or supporting our hiring processes. Strongly Preferred Skills We work across many areas, and encourage anyone with the experience listed above to apply. We would particularly like to encourage applicants with experience in: Owning the delivery charter and outcomes end-to-end by translating business and user needs into a multi-horizon roadmap and an executable, sequenced plan with clear success metrics. Hands-on coding. AI-tooling and agentic workflows. Delivery oversight of AI-engineering engagements. Building a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace is an ongoing journey, and we’re excited to keep learning and growing together. We have a proud tradition of hiring talented colleagues with real-world career experiences. How You’ll be Supported At 8th Light, we believe our people are our greatest asset. Their growth, well-being, and success shape our future. Our wellness package is designed with the Whole YOU in mind and includes: A robust L&D program with a learning budget and in-person learning opportunities Coworking support for our global team Flexible PTO Wellness days 12 weeks of new parent leave available for eligible employees Transparent semi-annual promotion panel See our full list of Benefits. A Note on Compensation At 8th Light, we are committed to a compensation philosophy that is transparent, fair, and helps us attract and retain top talent in alignment with our company’s strategic growth goals and clients’ needs. We benchmark our salaries using Geographic Structures to establish competitive pay ranges within the regions where 8th Lights live. Our pay ranges for our Delivery Lead position within our four US structures are as follows: Structure 1 (Tampa Metro, Ohio, Wisconsin) RANGE: $126,000-$158,000 USD Structure 2 (Chicago Metro, Miami Metro, Philadelphia Metro, Raleigh Metro) RANGE: $132,700-$165,800 USD Structure 3 (Austin Metro, Boston Metro, DC Metro) RANGE: $141,000-$176,500 USD Structure 4 (Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City) RANGE: $147,000-$184,000 USD Reach out to recruiting@8thlight.com for more relevant information pertaining to your local market. 8th Light is Remote-First We are a distributed team across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In most cases, our consulting engagements do not require travel. Whether you choose to work remotely or join us in person at one of our offices in Chicago or London, we’re committed to supporting a strong team culture. For team members outside of those cities, we offer access to coworking spaces to foster continued collaboration and connection across our global team. We hope to see you apply! #LI-Remote