Sr. Software Engineer I, Data & ML Platform

Zoro.com; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 105,100 - 175,100; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Paid parental leave

Wellbeing program

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discounts

Onsite gym

Job summary

Zoro.com is seeking a Senior Software Engineer I to join the Data and Machine Learning Platform team in Chicago. You will design and develop scalable tools to enable data ingestion, creation, sharing, and usage across the organization, while mentoring junior engineers and ensuring platform reliability.

You will collaborate with data engineers, data scientists, and software engineers to deliver robust data products, monitor performance, and drive continuous improvement of the platform.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in platform engineering, software development, or a related field.
• Proven experience designing scalable, reusable, user-friendly self-service tools.
• Strong proficiency in Python with well-documented code.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP (GCP preferred) and managing large-scale systems.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers and promoting best practices.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver platform solutions.
• Ability to write clear documentation and convey technical concepts to peers.
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) in production.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated build tools (e.g., Jenkins, CircleCI).
• Experience with orchestration tools such as Airflow, Argo, Flyte, Kubeflow.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, self-service tools and automated workflows for data ingestion, creation, sharing, and use.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote code quality and platform reliability.
• Collaborate with data engineers, data scientists, and software engineers to align solutions with partner needs.
• Implement monitoring and alerting to ensure platform reliability and proactive issue resolution.
• Drive continuous improvement of platform infrastructure for scalability and adoption by partners.
• Research and integrate new tools to keep the platform cutting-edge and performant.
• Create and update technical documentation and user guides for team and users.

Skills

Python programming

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Documentation

Data platform design

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Airflow

Argo

Flyte

Kubeflow

Jenkins

CircleCI

Terraform

Ansible

Helm

DataDog

Prometheus

Grafana

Spark

Hadoop

Kafka

Job description

Senior Software Engineer I

Zoro is seeking a Senior Software Engineer I to join our Data and Machine Learning Platform team. In this role, you will contribute to the design and development of scalable tools and systems that enable teams across the organization to ingest, create, share, and use data. By developing self‑service solutions and streamlining data workflows, you will support data pipelines, machine learning workflows, and advanced analytics—empowering teams to make data‑driven decisions and work more efficiently.

In this role, you will take an active part in ensuring the platform’s ability to support diverse data products with minimal friction, while mentoring junior engineers to grow and follow best practices. Your contributions will empower Zoro’s business partners to leverage data more effectively, driving innovation and business growth. You will also maintain the platform’s reliability, scalability, and adaptability, while gaining opportunities to develop your own skills through high‑impact projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, self‑service tools and automated workflows that enable partners to easily ingest, create, share, and use data, optimizing data processes and enhancing platform usability.
• Mentor junior engineers, providing guidance on best practices, technical development, and ensuring high standards in code quality and platform functionality.
• Collaborate proactively with cross‑functional teams (data engineers, data scientists, software engineers) to identify requirements, align platform solutions with partner needs, and continuously enhance the user experience to support scalable, reliable, and user‑friendly data products.
• Implement monitoring and alerting systems to ensure platform reliability, identifying and resolving issues before they impact users.
• Drive the continuous improvement of platform infrastructure, ensuring it remains robust, scalable, and easy for partners to adopt, and can accommodate evolving business needs.
• Research and integrate new tools and technologies to drive innovation and enhance platform performance, keeping the platform cutting‑edge, adaptable, and aligned with industry best practices while continuously developing technical skills.
• Create and update technical documentation and user guides for the team and platform users, ensuring that platform tools, workflows, and processes are clearly documented for easy adoption and internal knowledge sharing.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in platform engineering, software development, or a related field.
• Proven experience in designing and developing scalable, reusable, and user‑friendly tools that reduce complexity and empower teams to innovate through self‑service capabilities.
• Strong proficiency in at least one programming language (preferably Python) with demonstrated ability to write clean, well‑documented code.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, GCP, or others (GCP Preferred), including designing, deploying, and managing large‑scale systems.
• Experience mentoring junior engineers, promoting best practices in software engineering and technical development.
• Ability to collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including data engineers, data scientists, and software engineers, to deliver platform solutions aligned with business needs.
• Ability to write clear documentation and convey technical concepts to peers.
• Experience using containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes in production environments.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated build tools (e.g., Jenkins, CircleCI).
• Experience with orchestration tools such as Airflow, Argo, Flyte, or Kubeflow.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with infrastructure as code (IaC) technologies and automated infrastructure management/deployment patterns (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Helm).
• Experience with monitoring and logging using tools like DataDog or Prometheus + Grafana.
• Experience with batch and streaming data tools (e.g., Spark, Hadoop; Kafka, Pub/Sub) for large‑scale data processing and real‑time workflows.
• Understanding of machine learning processes, model types, workflows, and terminology.

Total Rewards

Zoro’s total compensation plan includes our Zoro Incentive Plan (ZIP) designed to foster and reward team members for strong performance. Total compensation will be highly competitive. In addition to competitive compensation, Zoro offers comprehensive benefits and perks including:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment.
• Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non‑birth parents. Support for adoption assistance program.
• Six free sessions each year with a licensed therapist and Wellhub portal membership to support mental and emotional wellbeing.
• At least 18 paid time off days annually for full‑time employees and 6 company holidays per year.
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
• Tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing, and access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
• Charitable Gift Program – matching gift to eligible educational, cultural, community health, and human service organizations.
• Employee discounts and admission to various civic and cultural institutions around Chicago.
• Zoro office perks including coffee bar, beer on tap, unlimited snacks, access to the onsite gym, and city skyline views.

Compensation: Illinois—$105,100—$175,100 USD.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are also committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment, providing reasonable accommodations during the application and hiring process and throughout employment. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so we can provide appropriate assistance.