Associate Principal, Software Engineering: Java

The Options Clearing Corporation; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 188,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment (up to 2 days/

Tuition Reimbursement

Student Loan Repayment Assistance

Technology Stipend

Generous PTO and Parental leave

401k Employer Match

Health benefits – medical, dental, and

Job summary

The Options Clearing Corporation seeks an Associate Principal to lead the Automation Testing Framework engineering team. You will own end-to-end design and delivery of the framework, set engineering standards, and mentor Associates while collaborating with testing teams, architects and business stakeholders.

You will design and write robust Java code, guide framework features, drive code quality, and champion secure software delivery through integration with security tools and teams.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Computer Science or similar technical field required.
• Experience with distributed systems and backend microservice development.
• Strong understanding of OOP, REST APIs and Java 8+ features.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and evolve the automation testing framework.
• Lead reviews and uphold engineering standards.
• Mentor Associates and other engineers in an agile environment.
• Drive security by remediating vulnerabilities with security teams.

Skills

Java

API development

CI/CD

DevOps

AWS

SQL

Kafka

Docker

SonarQube

Snyk

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Jenkins

Kubernetes

S3

Git

Protobuf/Avro

CI/CD tooling

Job description

What You'll Do

As an Associate Principal, you will be a senior individual contributor on OCC’s Automation Testing Framework engineering team, leading the design, development and evolution of the framework that supports critical risk technology systems. You will own complex technical deliverables end to end, set engineering standards, and mentor Associates while partnering with testing teams, architects and business stakeholders.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily.

• Design and write clean, maintainable, well-tested Java code, and lead debugging and root-cause analysis of complex framework and integration issues.
• Lead the design, development and enhancement of automation testing framework features, and drive adoption by testing teams through guidance, documentation and enablement.
• Lead code reviews, uphold engineering standards and best practices, and drive continuous improvement of the codebase and delivery practices.
• Champion secure software delivery by integrating and acting on findings from SonarQube, Snyk, Sysdig, Veracode, and Black Duck, and partner with security teams to remediate vulnerabilities.
• Own and improve CI/CD automation using Jenkins and containerized deployment with Docker, Harness, and Rancher, focusing on reliability, speed and repeatability.
• Serve as an escalation point for testing teams, resolving complex automation framework issues and identifying recurring problems to eliminate at the source.
• Lead design discussions and proof of concept efforts, evaluate technical alternatives, and drive architectural decisions for the framework in collaboration with architects and engineering leadership.
• Solve ambiguous problems creatively, communicate clearly to technical and executive audiences, and take initiative in technical decisions to achieve objectives.
• Mentor and coach Associates and other engineers, and collaborate effectively with business, technical and non-technical professionals in an agile environment, including contributing to sprint planning, estimation and roadmap discussions.

Supervisory Responsibilities

No formal direct reports; provides technical leadership, mentoring and guidance to Associates and other engineers, and may lead small project teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience with production systems, including distributed systems and backend microservice development, with a track record of delivering complex solutions with minimal supervision.
• Experience with distributed computing frameworks such as Kafka Streaming and message queues, including designing for scale, resilience and fault tolerance.
• Strong experience in API development, SQL databases, and data storage such as S3.
• Strong working knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps tools, Git, and test automation frameworks, with experience improving pipelines and release processes.
• Deep understanding of OOP, microservices architecture, REST APIs, and Java 8+ features, with the ability to apply design patterns and make sound architectural trade-offs.
• Experience leading work within Agile delivery models, including sprint planning, code reviews, backlog refinement, and cross-team communication.
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity, a strong desire to learn fast, and the ability to mentor others and help the team adopt new technologies.

Technical Skills

• Advanced Java programming expertise including object-oriented design, concurrency and multithreading, performance tuning, and substantial experience with Spring Boot.
• Strong working knowledge of Kafka including producers, consumers, topics, partitioning and delivery semantics; experience with message serialization formats such as Protobuf or Avro and schema governance patterns.
• Hands-on experience with AWS services, especially S3, and an understanding of cloud-based design, security and cost considerations.
• Ability to write and optimize analytical SQL queries for relational database systems such as PostgreSQL.
• Proficient with Git workflows including branching strategies, pull requests, and code review; hands‑on experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins or similar orchestration platforms.
• Practical experience with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code for code generation, refactoring, unit tests, and documentation, and the judgment to apply them in a disciplined engineering environment and coach others to do the same.

Education and/or Experience

[Required] BS degree in Computer Science or a similar technical field required; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Certificates or Licenses

None required

About Us

The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization.

Founded in 1973, OCC is dedicated to promoting stability and market integrity by delivering clearing and settlement services for options, futures and securities lending transactions.

As a Systemically Important Financial Market Utility (SIFMU), OCC operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

OCC has more than 100 clearing members and provides central counterparty (CCP) clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms.

More information about OCC is available at www.theocc.com.

Benefits

• A hybrid work environment, up to 2 days per week of remote work
• Tuition Reimbursement to support your continued education
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance
• Technology Stipend allowing you to use the device of your choice to connect to our network while working remotely
• Generous PTO and Parental leave
• 401k Employer Match
• Competitive health benefits including medical, dental and vision
• Visit https://www.theocc.com/careers/thriving-together for more information.

Compensation

The salary range listed for any given position is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses.

If hired at OCC, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors such as skills, experience and/or education.

In addition, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as part of any final offer.

We typically do not hire at the maximum of the range in order to allow for future and continued salary growth.

We also offer a substantial benefits package as noted on www.theocc.com/careers

All employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus. Discretionary bonuses are based on various factors, including, but not limited to, company and individual performance and are not guaranteed.

Salary Range $110,500.00 - $188,100.00

Incentive Range 8% to 15%

This position is eligible for an annual discretionary incentive compensation award, for which the target range is listed above (see Incentive Range). The amount of such award, if any, will be based on various factors, including without limitation, both individual and company performance.

Equal Opportunity Employer

OCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

OCC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, marital status, religion, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

OCC encourages everyone to review its open positions and apply if you think your experience may be a match, even if you do not meet all of the qualifications. Your perspective may be an element we need to continue building innovative solutions to support the markets and market participants we serve.

If you need a disability related accommodation for any part of the application process, please email [e-mail].