Lead Software Engineer

W. W. Grainger; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 134,100 - 223,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision and life plans

18 PTO days + 6 holidays

6% 401(k) company contribution

Tuition reimbursement and student loan

Employee discounts and financial tools

Maternity and parental leave

Job summary

W. W. Grainger, Inc. is seeking a Software Engineer (IV) to lead frontend and full-stack efforts for customer order entry across Grainger’s digital channels.

You will design, implement and optimize React/Next.js-based experiences, mentor peers, and collaborate with Product Management, UX, and Architecture. This hybrid Chicago-based role emphasizes reliability, testing, and scalable workflows. The team focuses on robust UI patterns, performance, accessibility, and collaboration across engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years designing, building, testing, and deploying modern software applications.
• Experience building complex, form-driven UIs or order entry/workflow systems.
• Proven experience with test automation frameworks (Jest, RTL, Cypress, Playwright).
• Backend integration patterns including REST APIs and asynchronous workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of customer order entry apps using React and Next.js.
• Own frontend architecture decisions (SSR/SSG, state management, performance, accessibility).
• Build scalable user experiences for complex order workflows with real-time feedback.
• Partner with backend teams on API contracts for order submission and validation.
• Drive test automation adoption: unit, integration, end-to-end testing for frontend and services.
• Improve CI/CD pipelines focusing on quality gates, test reliability, deployment confidence.

Skills

React

Next.js

Test automation

REST APIs

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Agile teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Jest

React Testing Library

Cypress

Playwright

Job description

W.W. Grainger, Inc., is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom. At Grainger, we keep the world working by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products and solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. Known for its commitment to service and award‑winning culture, the company had 2024 revenue of $17.2 billion across its two business models. In the High‑Touch Solutions segment, Grainger offers approximately 2 million maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services, including technical support and inventory management. In the Endless Assortment segment, Zoro.com offers customers access to more than 14 million products, and MonotaRO.com offers more than 24 million products. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

Compensation

The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $134,100.00 – $223,500.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 15 % or $ , based on the achievement of individual and company performance objectives in accordance with the current terms of the incentive program which are subject to change.

Rewards and Benefits

With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
• 18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full‑time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
• Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
• Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non‑birth parents.

For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:

The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation. The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.

The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above.

Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.

As a Software Engineer (Software Engineer IV) on the Customer Order Entry team, you will play a critical role in building and evolving the web‑based experiences used by customers and internal teams to create, validate, and submit orders across Grainger’s digital channels. This role is focused on frontend and full‑stack leadership, with a strong emphasis on React and Next.js, system reliability, and automated testing. You will help shape the technical direction of customer‑facing order entry workflows while coaching engineers and partnering with Product Management, UX, and Architecture. This role reports to the Manager, Product Engineering and can be based in Chicago, IL, on a hybrid basis.

You Will

• Lead the design and development of customer order entry applications using React and Next.js
• Own frontend architecture decisions, including SSR/SSG strategies, state management, performance optimization, and accessibility
• Build scalable, resilient user experiences that support complex order workflows, validation rules, and real‑time feedback
• Partner closely with backend teams to define clean, well‑documented API contracts for order submission and validation
• Drive adoption of robust test automation practices, including unit, integration, and end‑to‑end testing for frontend and supporting services
• Improve CI/CD pipelines with a focus on quality gates, test reliability, and deployment confidence
• Ensure applications meet standards for performance, observability, security, and usability in production
• Act as a technical mentor and leader, raising frontend engineering maturity and best practices across the team

You Have

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience designing, building, testing, and deploying modern software applications
• Experience building complex, form‑driven or workflow‑based user interfaces, ideally in order entry, checkout, or transactional systems
• Proven experience with test automation frameworks such as Jest, React Testing Library, Cypress, Playwright, or similar tools
• Working knowledge of backend integration patterns including REST APIs, event‑driven systems, and asynchronous workflows
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and containerized environments
• Ability to make sound technical decisions, influence design direction, and lead in ambiguous problem spaces
• Experience working in Agile teams with strong collaboration between engineering, product, and design

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.