Lead Engineer

About the role

About The Company

8th Light is a renowned technology solutions consultancy founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago. The company partners with a diverse range of clients, from early-stage startups to some of the world's largest corporations, to solve complex software challenges and deliver durable results. 8th Light specializes in building agentic products, the platforms they operate on, and the engineering and design at every layer, ensuring high-quality and innovative solutions. The company fosters a culture of continuous learning, mentorship, and collaboration, emphasizing honesty, trust, and measurable outcomes for clients. Their commitment to quality and innovation has established them as a trusted leader in the software development industry, making them an ideal environment for talented professionals seeking meaningful impact and growth opportunities.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Engineer to join 8th Light's dynamic team. In this role, you will serve as a senior technical leader, guiding complex projects from conception through deployment while collaborating closely with clients and internal teams. You will be responsible for leading architecture and design discussions, making strategic technology choices, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, maintainable software solutions. The ideal candidate will have a broad technical skill set, including proficiency in multiple programming languages and frameworks, and a proven track record of managing high-stakes consulting engagements. You will work on a variety of projects, often involving the full machine learning lifecycle, and will mentor junior team members, foster a collaborative environment, and contribute to the ongoing growth and success of 8th Light.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess over 7 years of experience in software development, with demonstrated success leading complex projects and teams. Candidates should have expertise in a variety of programming languages including Java, C#/.NET, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Go, Ruby, Scala, R, and SQL. Experience with AI/ML integration, building or deploying AI-powered features, and leveraging AI-assistive development tools is highly desirable. Strong understanding of automated testing, debugging, refactoring, and architecture-level concerns such as scalability, security, and performance is essential. Familiarity with collaborative version control systems like Git, CI/CD pipelines, and working on MacOS/Linux environments is required. Additionally, candidates should have excellent communication skills, the ability to mentor others, and experience working with stakeholders to balance technical and product needs. Preferred skills include platform engineering, data engineering, MLOps, DevSecOps, infrastructure as code, and experience with agentic frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, and CrewAI.

Responsibilities

As a Lead Engineer at 8th Light, your responsibilities will include:

Making immediate contributions to client projects, establishing trust quickly through effective technical delivery.

Leading architecture and design discussions, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with client needs.

Managing the full ML lifecycle, from data ingestion and preprocessing to model deployment, integration, and performance monitoring.

Collaborating with clients and internal teams to develop innovative solutions for complex technical and non-technical challenges.

Facilitating feedback sessions such as retrospectives, and documenting outcomes to drive continuous improvement.

Ensuring your team maintains a healthy, prioritized, and well-estimated backlog, and managing project roadmaps for large engagements.

Building and maintaining strong relationships with client technical leaders, providing regular updates, risk assessments, and solutions.

Identifying, addressing, and resolving blockers to team progress to ensure timely delivery.

Mentoring colleagues, sharing knowledge, and contributing to internal and external workshops or community events.

Supporting 8th Light’s culture and values by promoting collaboration, transparency, and a growth mindset within your team.

Benefits

8th Light is dedicated to supporting the growth, well-being, and success of its employees. Benefits include:

Access to a comprehensive learning and development program, including unlimited courses, books, and expert-led training through the O'Reilly learning platform.

An annual financial stipend and dedicated time for professional growth activities.

Support for remote work with coworking space access and flexible working arrangements.

Flexible paid time off to promote work-life balance.

12 weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees, supporting new family members.

Health insurance options, wellness programs, and other employee support initiatives designed to foster a healthy and productive work environment.

Equal Opportunity

8th Light is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We believe that a variety of perspectives and experiences enrich our team and drive innovation. We actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to apply. Our hiring processes are designed to be fair and unbiased, and we strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of respect, collaboration, and continuous learning, ensuring that all employees can thrive and grow within the organization.