Senior Cloud Platform Engineer — Architecture Foundry

CME Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 146,000 - 243,000; Full time

Job summary

CME Group in Chicago seeks a Senior Cloud Platform Engineer for the Central Hub within our Architecture Foundry. You will design automated deployment patterns and enterprise-grade platform blueprints on Google Cloud Platform to enable secure, self-healing software delivery with push-button simplicity.

Responsibilities include IaC with Terraform, KCC, and Helm; Policy-as-Code guardrails; GKE optimization; and FinOps-driven cost modeling.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience designing modular, enterprise-wide platform architectures.
• Experience operating in a regulated financial services environment (SIFMU) preferred.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline.
• Deep hands-on experience managing GCP environments (GKE, IAM, Vertex AI, networking, hybrid connectivity).
• Proficiency with Terraform, KCC, Helm; CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Argo).
• Advanced knowledge of GKE/Kubernetes networking, storage, secrets, CRDs.
• Strong coding skills in Python, Go, Bash or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain enterprise-grade IaC templates for GCP using Terraform, KCC and Helm.
• Develop and enforce Policy-as-Code frameworks and CSPM guardrails for security/compliance.
• Optimize GKE and cloud workloads, including autoscaling and resource allocation.
• Provision cloud environments, API gateways, and GKE for AI agents and LLM workflows.
• Incorporate resilient configurations (multi-region, automated failover, DR) into templates.
• Embed cost-optimization models to guide forecasting and scaling in templates.
• Deliver telemetry, logging, and self-healing capabilities in application templates.

Skills

GCP

CI/CD Automation

Policy-as-Code

FinOps

Kubernetes

Terraform

Helm

CKA/CKAD

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science / Software Engineering

Tools

Terraform

KCC

Helm

GKE

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

Argo

Python

Go

Job description

Are you a forward-thinking platform engineer who loves designing resilient, self-healing cloud infrastructure? Do you want to build the automated pipelines and secure "Paved Paths" that enable development teams to deploy cutting-edge software instantly? CME Group is seeking a Senior Cloud Platform Engineer to join the Central Hub within our Architecture Foundry. Sitting inside our innovative, cross-functional "Architecture-as-a-Product" pod, you will partner directly with Enterprise Architects and an AI Solutions Specialist to build next-generation platform blueprints, automated deployment patterns, and highly optimized workload models on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). In this role, you will be the operational foundation of our applied architecture initiative. Rather than acting as a traditional administrative gatekeeper, you will champion "Architecture by Enablement." You will build highly automated, scalable cloud environments, implement robust Policy-as-Code guardrails, and engineer the underlying platform building blocks that empower delivery teams across CME Group to ship secure, resilient applications with push-button simplicity.

What You'll Do

Infrastructure-as-Code & Platform Engineering

• Build Paved Path solutions: Design, build, and maintain enterprise-grade Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), configuration templates (principally using Terraform, Kubernetes Config Connector [KCC], and Helm Charts), and for Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Automation & Guardrails: Develop and enforce Policy-as-Code (PoC) frameworks, DevSecOps pipelines, and Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) guardrails to ensure pattern conformance, detect drift, and automate security auditing and compliance.
• Optimize GKE & Cloud Workloads: Implement advanced container orchestration strategies utilizing Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), addressing workload optimization, autoscaling, and compute resource allocation to prevent stockout issues.
• Partner for Applied AI: Securely provision and connect the cloud environments, API gateways, and GKE infrastructure necessary to host next-generation AI agents and large language model (LLM) workflows.
• Workload Performance & FinOps Resilience by Design: Integrate highly resilient configurations (such as active/active multi-region topologies, automated failover, and robust disaster recovery) directly into standard platform templates.
• FinOps-Driven Optimization: Build and embed cost optimization models within foundational templates to guide forecasting, monitor, scale, and lower resource spend across various cloud-native workloads.
• Promote "You Build It, You Run It" (YBIYRI): Deliver highly visible telemetry, logging, and self-healing tools inside application templates to foster a strong operational ownership culture across engineering teams.

What You'll Bring

Professional Background

8+ years of experience with a proven track record of designing modular, enterprise-wide platform architectures.

Financial Services Context

Experience operating within a highly regulated, tier-one financial services environment or a SIFMU-compliant organization is highly preferred.

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Technical & Platform Expertise

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Deep hands-on experience managing GCP environments, focusing on core network security, GKE, IAM, Vertex AI infrastructure, and hybrid connectivity.

IaC & Tooling

Exceptional proficiency with Terraform, KCC, Helm, and modern CI/CD automation tools (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Argo).

Kubernetes Orchestration

Advanced knowledge of GKE / Kubernetes networking, storage, secrets management, and custom resource definitions (CRDs).

System Programming / Scripting

Strong coding skills in Python, Go, Bash, or similar languages to write automation tooling and custom pipeline steps.

Certifications (Highly Desired)

GCP Credentials

GCP Professional Cloud Architect, GCP Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer, or GCP Professional Cloud Security Engineer.

Kubernetes & IaC Credentials

Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), or HashiCorp Certified Terraform Associate.

What You'll Get

Become a cornerstone of a high-visibility function where your contributions directly shape the core technology foundations of financial markets, tackling technical challenges at an unmatched scale.

A supportive environment fostering career progression, continuous learning, and an inclusive culture.

Broad exposure to CME's diverse products, asset classes, and cross-functional teams.

A competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Explore our full range of benefits #LI-JK1 CME Group is committed to offering a competitive total rewards package for our employees that recognizes their contributions to the business and reflects our long-term investment in their future.

The pay range for this role is $145,700-$242,900. Actual salary offered will be dependent on a wide array of factors including but not limited to: relevant experience, skills, education and comparison to internal employees (where relevant).

Our compensation program also includes an annual target bonus opportunity for all employees, as well as the opportunity to become an owner in the company through our broad-based equity program.

Through our benefits program, we strive to offer flexibility, value and choice. From comprehensive health coverage, to a retirement package that includes both a 401(k) and an active pension plan, to highly competitive education reimbursement provisions, paid time off and a mental health benefit, CME Group offers a holistic benefits package for our team and their dependents.

CME Group: Where Futures are Made CME Group is the world's leading derivatives marketplace. But who we are goes deeper than that. Here, you can impact markets worldwide. Transform industries. And build a career by shaping tomorrow. We invest in your success and you own it – all while working alongside a team of leading experts who inspire you in ways big and small. Problem solvers, difference makers, trailblazers. Those are our people. And we're looking for more. At CME Group, we embrace our employees' unique experiences and skills to ensure that everyone's perspectives are acknowledged and valued. As an equal-opportunity employer, we consider all potential employees without regard to any protected characteristic.

For U.S. employment, CME Group is legally required to validate a new hire’s employment eligibility by having them complete an Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) companied with legally acceptable proof of identity and work authorization (as listed on the Form I-9). CME Group uses E-Verify, which is an online system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the Social Security Administration to verify employment eligibility and validate social security numbers. Through participation in the E-Verify program, information entered on Form I-9 will be provided and compared to information available at both of these agencies. See posters below for more details.