Software Engineer II, Data Solutions

Tempus AI; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Tempus AI is looking for a Senior Software Engineer II to lead the technical strategy for their Data Products team in Chicago. You will work on building the foundational infrastructure for clinical, research, and AI capabilities, focusing on data storage, governance, and new technologies.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience in software or data engineering, proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, and experience on public cloud platforms. Salary ranges from $85,000 to $130,000 based on location and qualifications.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software or data engineering.
• Experience in distributed data systems or backend web services.
• Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and Python.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of Tempus’s data management platform.
• Implement complex backend web services in TypeScript.
• Build data pipelines for schema-defined data loading.

Skills

Software engineering

Data engineering

Platform engineering

Backend web services

JavaScript/TypeScript

Python

Cloud services (GCP)

Data modeling

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Node.js

GCP Cloud Spanner

BigQuery

Dataflow

Job description

The Role

As a Senior Software Engineer II on the Data Products team, you will act as a technical leader in building the foundational infrastructure that powers Tempus’ clinical, research, and AI capabilities. The Data Products team provides a platform that supports the full lifecycle of data—from the secure ingestion of data to the cataloging and analysis of that data, powering complex algorithms and models.

You will play a pivotal role in architecting and driving technical strategy for services and APIs that allow bioinformatics scientists, ML and Agent developers to rapidly develop, deploy, and operate their solutions in a highly regulated, secure, and scalable environment. You will focus on data storage and governance, containerized compute orchestration, and forging new connections with the latest GenAI technologies to ensure our platform remains a robust foundation for cutting‑edge technologies that help patients live longer, healthier lives.

Responsibilities

• Lead Technical Architecture: Drive the high‑level design and architecture of distributed systems at scale, ensuring alignment with strategic goals for Tempus’s data management platform.
• System Design & Implementation: Design, implement, and test complex production backend web services in TypeScript, serving as a standard‑bearer for code quality and system reliability.
• Data Pipelining: Build and maintain pipelines to load schema‑defined data into the data warehouse using cloud storage and data warehousing technologies. Provision access to this data according to Tempus’s internal policies and regulatory obligations.
• Stakeholder & Product Leadership: Use exemplary stakeholder management skills to work closely with Product Managers to translate complex business requirements into technical roadmaps, ensuring clear communication and alignment with business goals.
• Operational Excellence: Take operational responsibility for platform systems in production, including on‑call duties. Troubleshoot complex technical issues and proactively monitor systems to ensure reliability and performance optimization.
• Mentorship & Best Practices: Mentor other engineers on your team, fostering a culture of continuous learning. With your Engineering Lead, define and promote best practices for software engineering, including testing strategies, documentation, and code reviews.
• Support & Enablement: Leverage your expertise to support cross‑functional science, ML, and AI teams. Act as a high‑level escalation point to answer user questions and resolve development or production issues regarding data and compute workflows.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software or data engineering, with a strong focus on platform engineering, distributed data systems, or backend web services.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Proficiency in writing production backend services in JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, or other similar languages, with a willingness to work primarily in a Node.js and Python environment.
• Deep experience designing and running production systems on public cloud platforms (GCP preferred).
• Working knowledge of cloud object storage (GCS, S3), ETL services (Dataflow), and data warehousing (BigQuery).
• Strong familiarity with distributed, relational database design (GCP Cloud Spanner) and data modeling (JSON Schema, Avro, or similar), including schema migrations and enforcing data contracts.
• Proven track record of translating complex business requirements into scalable technical designs for distributed systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with GCP services including GKE, Cloud Spanner, BigQuery, and Dataflow.
• Strong familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, immutable data patterns, and DevOps practices.
• Experience with data cataloging, data lineage, or platforms supporting ML/GenAI and/or bioinformatics workflows.

Salary: CHI: $85,000–$130,000; NYC/SF: $100,000–$145,000. The expected salary range above is applicable if the role is performed from Illinois and may vary for other locations (California, Colorado, New York). Actual salary may vary based on qualifications and experience. Tempus offers a full range of benefits, which may include incentive compensation, restricted stock units, medical and other benefits depending on the position.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.