Software Engineer

Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Financial Health 401k match up to 6%

Stock Ownership Potential

Life insurance - 1x salary + comission

Health benefits (medical/dental/vision

Company-provided HSA contributions

Wellness incentives

Sabbatical program

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Volunteer program

Job summary

Morningstar Inc. in Chicago is seeking software engineers focusing on .NET, Python, AWS, and modern platform development to join our team and build AI-enabled content management capabilities.

You will design backend services, APIs, and AI features such as tagging, metadata extraction, and semantic search, collaborating with product managers to turn business needs into scalable solutions. This hybrid role requires a BS in CS, 2+ years of experience, and a passion for learning and delivering

Qualifications

• 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).
• Experience with software engineering best practices including TDD, automated testing, and CI/CD.
• Knowledge of domain modeling and SOLID design principles.
• Team player able to manage multiple deliverables.
• Knowledge of modern front-end technologies is a plus (Vue, React, Angular).
• Experience with AWS compute services (Lambda, ECS/ECR, EC2, API Gateway, IAM, S3).
• Experience with graph databases and search technologies (Neptune, Gremlin, OpenSearch).
• Experience with external AI/LLM integrations is desirable.

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 tagging, metadata extraction, summarization, semantic search, and workflow automation.
• Contribute to integrating external AI/LLM services (OpenAI, AWS Bedrock) into platform capabilities.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to improve code quality and automate tasks.
• Partner with product managers and stakeholders to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Collaborate with teams and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and advocate improvements.

Skills

C# programming

Python programming

OO design principles (SOLID)

CI/CD

Test-driven development

Kafka

AWS SQS

AWS Kinesis

SQL

Elasticsearch/OpenSearch

Neo4j/Graph databases

REST APIs

Front-end awareness (Vue/React/Angular

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

.NET

Python

AWS

Kafka

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

OpenSearch/Elasticsearch

AWS Bedrock/OpenAI integrations

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

• 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.

Company Overview

Morningstar Inc. Legal Entity Morningstar is a global independent investment research and financial data company. Here, you'll help uncover what’s hidden, simplify what’s complex, and create insights that empower investor success.

Development Program

Morningstar is strongly committed to creating and preserving equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. We make all employment decisions—including recruitment, hiring compensation, training, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and other personnel matters—without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship, gender identity and expression, parental status, or other legally protected characteristics or conduct.