Software Engineer

Medium; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k)

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Paid parental and caregiver leave

Plus more! See benefits for additional

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking an early-career Software Engineer to help build Hatch and related platforms. You will contribute to features, write full-stack code, and learn from a team that builds real products with modern tooling.

We value fundamentals, curiosity, and the ability to pick up Elixir and Phoenix; AI tools will be used from day one, with mentorship and opportunities to grow toward ownership in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Foundation in software development through CS, bootcamp, or equivalent.
• Developing engineering judgment and understanding of good design.
• Interest in AI development tools and modern software practices.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to features across Hatch and related platforms with guidance from senior engineers.
• Build full-stack functionality for internal and public web apps.
• Use AI tools to speed development, then review and test what you ship.
• Participate in full development lifecycle: implement, test, debug, support.
• Engage in code reviews and provide constructive feedback.

Skills

Foundational dev skills

Engineering judgment

Product mindset

AI tools interest

Elixir/Phoenix interest

Communication skills

Curiosity

Tools

Elixir

Phoenix

Git / GitHub

Job description

Overview

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

AtAHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual\'s race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

AHEAD is on the hunt for a sharp, motivated Software Engineer, early in their career and ready to do real work from day one, to help build Hatch. We’re a leading IT services provider, trusted by some of the world’s largest companies to design, build, run, and modernize their most important technology across cloud, data, AI, and security.

Hatch is an advanced platform for IT lifecycle management, renewal, procurement, and logistics, giving enterprises real-time visibility and control over their IT assets, orders, contracts, and inventory across thousands of sites. Unity, its sibling platform, extends those capabilities to streamline our own operations and service delivery. You’ll join a progressive engineering team that lives on the forefront of technology. We build real products, adopt new tools early, sweat the details, and trade ideas constantly. This is a place to be noticed for your work and your talent, not your years of experience, and to learn an enormous amount, fast.

We care more about how you think and how quickly you learn than about the languages on your résumé. You’ll start by contributing to real features and grow toward owning them end to end, writing, testing, and shipping full-stack code with support from experienced engineers. Our stack today is Elixir and Phoenix. No prior experience with them is required. We care that you bring solid fundamentals and the drive to pick up whatever a problem demands.

Building in the Age of AI

AI has changed what great engineering looks like, and it’s a fantastic time to start your career here. From day one you’ll use AI tools and coding agents to write, explore, and understand code faster, while building the most important skill of all: the judgment to review what they produce and know when it’s right. We’re not looking for people who lean on the tools blindly. We’re looking for people eager to learn to wield them with care, and we’ll help you get great at both the fundamentals and the modern way of working.

• Use AI to learn faster and contribute sooner on scaffolding, tests, and research, then review what it produces like you own it.
• Build strong fundamentals: clean code, testing, debugging, and how real systems fit together.
• Grow your judgment with regular feedback from senior engineers who care about helping you level up.

What you\'ll be doing

• Contribute to features across our platforms, and grow toward owning them end to end, with support from experienced engineers.
• Build full-stack functionality for internal and public web applications, learning to make sound design decisions along the way.
• Use AI tools and agents to work and learn faster, then review, test, and harden what you ship.
• Take part in the full development life cycle: implementation, testing, debugging, and support.
• Take part in code reviews, giving and receiving feedback, as one of the fastest ways to grow.
• Work directly with teammates and end users to understand the business problem behind each request.
• Write reliable, well-tested code and fix issues promptly.
• Pick up new languages, tools, and concepts as you go. Curiosity is the job.

What does the ideal candidate look like?

• Some foundation in software development, whether through a CS degree, a bootcamp, internships, personal projects, or equivalent self-taught experience.
• Developing engineering judgment. You\'re learning what “good” looks like and how to tell solid solutions from shaky ones, including code an AI wrote.
• The beginnings of a product mindset: you care about the user and the outcome, not just closing the ticket.
• Interest in using modern AI development tools well, paired with the instinct to verify and test what you ship.
• Comfortable writing code in at least one modern language, and eager to learn Elixir, Phoenix, and whatever else a problem calls for. (No prior Elixir experience required.)
• A growing foundation in software design and good practices, including testing, version control, and code review.
• Clear, direct communication and a willingness to ask good questions.
• Curiosity and drive. You love to learn, and you see your work through to the end.
• Activity on GitHub, a portfolio, or projects you can show us is a big plus.

Why you\'ll love it here

• You’ll do real work that ships and reaches real users, with no busywork.
• You’ll learn constantly, with mentorship from a team that’s always on the forefront of technology.
• We invest seriously in modern tooling, including the best AI tools, and in helping you grow.
• Competitive salary, benefits, and an environment where work-life balance is more than just a catchphrase.

Salary

$100,000 - $130,000 a year

The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (OTE) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Why AHEAD

Through our daily work and groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

USA Employment Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid company holidays
• Paid time off
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• Plus more! See benefits for additional details.

We may use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.