Software Engineer, Backend (Clearing)

Cedar Cares, Inc; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 108,000 - 139,000; Full time

Job summary

Cboe Global Markets is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to design, build, and operate scalable Java microservices that power clearing workflows and market infrastructure. You will optimize data models, ensure data integrity, and contribute to production readiness including observability and on-call responsibilities.

Qualified candidates bring 5+ years of backend development, strong Java skills, and a solid foundation in distributed systems, SQL, and software design patterns.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in backend development.
• Experience building and operating distributed, service-based systems in production.
• Solid grounding in object-oriented and functional programming, design patterns and SQL.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and maintain scalable Java microservices.
• Optimize PostgreSQL schemas and queries.
• Build services supporting clearing workflows including trade processing, margin and settlement.
• Ensure data integrity and reconciliation across systems.
• Operate what you build with monitoring, logging and tracing in production.
• Contribute to architecture decision records and design docs before implementation.

Skills

Java (3+ yrs)

Distributed systems

SQL/Database design

Production engineering

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Tools

Kubernetes

Kafka

Linux

GitHub Actions

ArgoCD

Job description

Position Summary:

At Cboe Global Markets, we inspire our people to solve complex challenges together because what we do matters. We provide the financial infrastructure that powers the global economy. As a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, Cboe delivers cutting‑edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. We’re building meaningful ways to support professional and personal development while strengthening the trust we’ve earned as a global market leader. Our teams are empowered to share ideas, actively pursue them and bring on a challenge. As champions of internal mobility and access to opportunity, we encourage our people to “go for it” and equip our managers with the training to coach their teams to the next level. We strive to provide employees a safe space to network, share ideas and create opportunities.

Location Overview:

Cboe HQ is located in the historic Old Post Office district, it’s a landmark that blends classic architecture with modern amenities. The building features expansive spaces with high ceilings and large windows, offering an abundance of natural light and panoramic views of the city skyline and the Chicago River. With its prime location in the heart of downtown, the OPO Building provides easy access to major transportation hubs, including Union Station and multiple CTA lines, making it convenient for commuters. The building is home to a variety of amenities, including restaurants, a fitness center, and collaborative workspaces, creating a vibrant and dynamic work environment in one of Chicago's most iconic areas.

Role Overview

Cboe Clear U.S. (CCUS) is a regulated clearinghouse. We clear the event contracts and prediction markets listed on Cboe's exchanges, and we are building toward tokenized collateral, 24x7 operation, and the infrastructure that carries traditional finance onto DeFi rails. CCUS Software Engineering is a high trust environment. Failure leads to inquiry rather than blame. Working across team boundaries is expected rather than tolerated. We solve the problem, then we write the code. Design documents and architecture decision records come first. The engineers we value most close their feedback loop. They write tests, and they instrument what they ship so it fails fast, explains itself in production, leaves an audit trail and rolls back cleanly. The Software Engineer builds and runs the services that clear trades. You would own features inside a design your team sets, write the tests and observability that ship with them, and carry the on‑call that comes from owning your own code. Java is our stack choice, but we hire polyglots. The engineers who do well here grow into shaping the design rather than working inside it.

Responsibilities

• Designing, developing and maintaining scalable microservices in Java.
• Optimizing PostgreSQL schemas and queries.
• Building services that support clearing workflows including trade processing, margin and settlement.
• Ensuring data integrity, consistency and reconciliation across integrated systems.
• Operating what you build, including the metrics, logs and traces that let you diagnose it in production.
• Helping define the service level objectives for your services and the alerting that defends them.
• Contributing to architecture decision records and design documents before implementation begins.
• Leveraging AI responsibly, using tools such as Claude or Copilot, to improve code quality and productivity.
• Documenting relevant details in the team wiki.

Requirements

• Supporting delivery across the full software lifecycle, from design and implementation through testing and production support.
• Experience building and operating distributed, service‑based systems in production.
• Production engineering discipline, meaning you have owned services you also had to keep running.
• Solid grounding in object‑oriented and functional programming, software engineering principles, design patterns, data modeling and SQL.
• A record of turning ideas into things that actually shipped, and of changing your mind when the evidence says to.
• The ability to work with non‑technical partners and turn a concept into a working solution.
• Strong command of Java, with at least three years of job experience in it.

Preferred qualifications

• Container orchestration with Kubernetes, Nomad or similar orchestrators
• Event streaming with Kafka or an equivalent
• Capital markets clearing or post‑trade systems
• Solid Linux fundamentals and disciplined use of version control
• AI‑assisted development tooling

Nice to have

• Python, which we rely on for analytics work and rapid prototyping
• JVM languages such as Clojure, Scala or Kotlin
• The FIX messaging protocol
• Distributed tracing and observability tooling

Current technology stack

Java on Kubernetes. Application code and CI pipelines live in GitHub with GitHub Actions. Container images and build artifacts live in registries such as Harbor and Artifactory, and Helm charts are deployed by ArgoCD from a GitOps repository. PostgreSQL, Kafka and Linux. This is representative rather than exhaustive. You do not need experience with every technology in our environment. We hire for competencies over pedigree, so if you have built similar systems and learn quickly, we encourage you to apply.

Minimum Work Experience

5+ years in backend development

Minimum Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience

Visa & Sponsorship

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.

Salary

At Cboe, we are committed to providing a competitive, transparent, and market‑informed total rewards program. The anticipated base salary range for this role is $107,525-$139,150, with actual compensation determined by job‑related factors such as skills, relevant experience, education, internal alignment, and location. This role may also be eligible for annual incentive compensation and, where applicable, participation in CboE's long‑term equity programs. Additional information about Cboe's total rewards program, including benefits and other compensation components, can be found here: Total Rewards at CBOE.

Cboe Global Markets is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For more information, please click the following links: Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law (in English) Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law (in Spanish) Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law (Supplement) E-Verify Participation Poster (English & Spanish) Right to Work Poster (English) Right to Work Poster (Spanish)