Sr. Staff Engineer - Java / SpringBoot / AWS - Zelle

Early Warning Services LLC; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 155,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Coverage

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Paid Parental Leave

Job summary

Early Warning Services LLC is seeking a highly experienced Technical Leader in Chicago. The individual will collaborate across engineering, product, and architecture to shape strategies that solve complex requirements. Ideal candidates will have 12+ years of relevant experience, particularly in SaaS and cloud solutions.

This position follows a hybrid work model, offering competitive compensation between $155,000 - $215,000 depending on experience, alongside benefits including healthcare coverage and generous paid time off.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant experience in software engineering.
• Hands-on experience with Docker and Java/Spring.
• Ability to collaborate across departments.

Responsibilities

• Shape engineering approaches in collaboration with teams.
• Own the technical strategy for complex requirements.
• Lead functional area and mentor other engineers.

Skills

Distributed systems development

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Cloud solutions

Java

Spring

Docker

Event-driven architecture

Agile methodologies

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Maven

Gradle

AWS

PostgreSQL

Kafka

Job description

Overview

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting‑edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. Our role is located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York and follows a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative environment. Candidates must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States at the date of hire; this position is ineligible for employment visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Partner with software engineering, product, and architecture to shape engineering approaches, share knowledge and experience.
• Own the technical strategy for broad or complex requirements, taking a forward‑looking approach that solves large open‑ended problems beyond the direct team.
• Be accountable for resolving technical conflict within and between multiple teams, and for department‑wide design patterns and code approaches.
• Represent engineering in cross‑functional team sessions and present sound, thoughtful arguments to persuade others.
• Lead a broad functional area and direct efforts through the functional team members in overall planning.
• Collaborate and partner with product managers, designers, and other engineering groups to conceptualize, build new features, and create product descriptions.
• Actively own features or systems, define their long‑term health, and improve the health of surrounding systems.
• Assist support and operations teams in identifying and quickly resolving production issues.
• Develop and implement tests to ensure the quality, performance, and scalability of applications.
• Develop and mentor other engineers, and may serve as a technical leader for cross‑functional projects.
• Actively seek ways to improve engineering standards, tooling, and processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of relevant experience, with 9+ years in the development of distributed systems, SaaS, cloud solutions, micro services.
• Hands‑on Docker experience and 8+ years with Java/Spring.
• Proficiency with Maven/Gradle, event‑driven architecture, messaging frameworks (Pub/Sub, Kafka, RabbitMQ, etc.).
• Experience with cloud infrastructure (Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure, etc.) and mature engineering practices (CI/CD, testing, secure coding).
• Knowledge of SDLC best practices, Agile/Scrum/LEAN, and DevOps practices.
• Background and drug screen required.
• Ability to influence and work collaboratively across multiple departments.
• Experience designing/developing scalable systems.
• Knowledge of event‑driven architecture and messaging frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Java, SpringBoot, and AWS experience.
• AWS architecture knowledge and migration experience.
• Experience with Aurora, PostgreSQL or MySQL databases.
• Monitoring and alerting systems experience (AppDynamics or Grafana).
• Knowledge of ACH/EFT and real‑time payment networks (RTP, FedNow).
• FinTech experience and Kubernetes experience.

Physical Requirements

Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer, sitting for approximately four hours at a time. Occasional standing, walking, kneeling, or reaching may be required. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally.

Compensation

The base pay scale for this position in Phoenix, AZ / Chicago, IL in USD per year is: $155,000 - $215,000. Candidates are also eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

Benefits

• Healthcare Coverage – Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on first 6% deferral.
• Paid Time Off – Flexible Time Off for exempt employees and generous PTO for non‑exempt employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave. Maven Family Planning support through fertility, adoption, pregnancy, and return to work.
• Additional benefits available through the company portal.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Early Warning Services, LLC (“Early Warning”) considers for employment, hires, retains, and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status, or any factor prohibited by law. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status, or any other factor that is irrelevant to a candidate’s performance.

Employment Eligibility

Early Warning Services LLC is a proud participant in E‑Verify, a federal program to help ensure a legal and authorized workforce.

Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice Effective: May2,2025. Please review the full notice at https://www.earlywarning.com/privacy-notice-employment-applicants.