Software Engineer

Morningstar; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k match and stock ownership

Holistic well-being programs

Paid sabbatical and parental leave

Job summary

Morningstar is seeking software engineers specializing in .NET, Python, AWS, and modern platform development to evolve our content management system with AI-enabled capabilities for investors. This backend role focuses on production systems and applying AI practically, with collaboration across product and business teams in a hybrid Chicago setting.

You’ll work on RESTful APIs, content workflows, and AI features such as tagging, metadata extraction, and semantic search, while leveraging AWS

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field.
• Two plus years of experience developing commercial quality applications.
• Strong programming skills in C# and Python.
• Working knowledge of messaging technologies (Kafka, AWS SQS/Kinesis) and relational databases (SQL Server, Postgres).
• Experience with CI/CD and test automation; DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Build well-designed, stable, secure, and scalable content platform services and applications.
• Develop and enhance capabilities for content management, ingestion, workflows, search, and distribution.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs and backend services using .NET, Python and AWS.
• Contribute to AI-enabled features such as content tagging, metadata extraction, summarization, semantic search, and workflow automation.
• Contribute to integrating external AI/LLM services into platform capabilities.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to improve code quality, automate repetitive tasks, and accelerate delivery.
• Partner with product managers and stakeholders to shape product vision and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with teams and take ownership for delivering high-quality outcomes.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and advocate for improvements where appropriate.

Skills

C#

Python

RESTful APIs

Distributed systems

DevOps practices

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

AWS

Kafka

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

Elasticsearch/OpenSearch

Job description

The Role

At Morningstar, helping investors is what brings us together and drives our work. We are looking for software engineers who specialize in .NET, Python, AWS, and modern platform development to join our team, grow with us, introduce us to new ideas and develop products that empower our users.

We are evolving our content management system with AI-enabled capabilities to improve content workflows, discovery, and automation. We’re looking for engineers who are excited to learn, experiment, and apply emerging technologies alongside strong engineering fundamentals.

This role is ideal for a backend or platform-focused software engineer who enjoys building production systems and is curious about applying AI in practical ways. Every day, you’ll partner with team members across disciplines to develop products for investors. You’ll interact with product managers and business stakeholders to understand our domain and create technical solutions that push us forward. You will be a member of a vibrant technical community, sharing your knowledge while also learning from fellow technologists.

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid- 4 days onsite)

Responsibilities

• Build well-designed, stable, secure, and scalable content platform services and applications.
• Develop and enhance capabilities for content management, ingestion, workflows, search, and distribution.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs and backend services using .NET, Python and AWS.
• Contribute to AI-enabled features such as content tagging, metadata extraction, summarization, semantic search, and workflow automation.
• Contribute to integrating external AI/LLM services (e.g., OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, or similar) into platform capabilities.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to improve code quality, automate repetitive tasks, and accelerate delivery (e.g., AI-based code reviews, documentation, and testing support)
• Partner with product managers and stakeholders to shape product vision and translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with teams and take ownership for delivering high-quality outcomes.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and advocate for improvements where appropriate.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in computer science or related field.
• Two plus years of experience developing commercial quality applications.
• Strong programming skills in C# and Python.
• Working knowledge of messaging technologies (Kafka, AWS SQS/Kinesis) and relational databases (SQL Server, Postgres) technologies.
• Experience with software engineering best practices, including test-driven development, automated unit testing and functional testing, and DevOps practices such as continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD).
• Knowledge and practical experience with domain modeling and object-oriented design patterns and principles, such as the SOLID principles.
• Flexible team player who remains organized and productive while managing multiple deliverables.
• Knowledge of modern front-end technologies is a plus (Vue, React, Angular, Web Components).
• Experience with AWS compute technologies (Lambda, ECS/ECR, EC2, API Gateway, IAM, S3).
• Experience with Amazon Neptune, graph databases, and Gremlin for modeling and querying taxonomy hierarchies.
• Experience with search technologies such as Elasticsearch or OpenSearch.

We’re not considering candidates who require sponsorship now or in the future.

Compensation And Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health
  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
  • Stock Ownership Potential
  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
• Physical Health
  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
• Emotional Health
  • Trust-Based Time Off
  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
  • Adoption Assistance
  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
  • Tuition Reimbursement
• Social Health
  • Charitable Matching Gifts program
  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program
  • Paid volunteering days
  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

$89,625.00-131,441.66

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.

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