Staff Software Engineer

Publicis Groupe ANZ; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 105,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Paid sick time

Parental/new child leave

Comprehensive health coverage

401(k)

Tuition assistance

Professional development

Charitable donation matching

Health coaching and counselling

Job summary

Publicis Groupe ANZ is seeking a Staff Software Engineer in Chicago to provide technical leadership across critical initiatives. In this hands-on role, you will own the design and operational health of solutions, leading a high-performing team.

The ideal candidate offers deep expertise in Java/Spring Boot, Databricks, and has extensive experience mentoring engineering teams. You'll enjoy a range of benefits including flexible time off and comprehensive health coverage.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on software engineering experience; 5+ years in cloud environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of solutions from architecture to deployment.
• Lead design and delivery of backend services and data platform solutions.
• Mentor and develop engineers, especially in AI-driven development practices.

Skills

Java/Spring Boot

Apache Spark

Python

SQL

Databricks

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Education

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

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

A subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, Epsilon is a leading provider of multi‑channel marketing services, technologies, and database solutions. At Epsilon, we do more than collect and store data. We help some of the world’s biggest brands discover real opportunities inside the data types, delimiters and decimals.

We’re looking for an outstanding Staff Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across multiple critical initiatives on an established, high‑performing team. This is a hands‑on engineering leadership role — you will own the design, delivery, and operational health of solutions end‑to‑end, from architecture through production support.

How You’ll Make an Impact

The right candidate offers deep expertise in Java/Spring Boot backend services and Databricks/Spark data platforms, the anchors of our current stack. They have a proven ability to mentor engineers, improve code quality, and collaborate with engineering, product, and architecture leadership.

What You’ll Achieve

• Take end‑to‑end ownership of solutions — from architecture and development through deployment, operations, and client‑facing production support. This is not just a development role; strong DevOps sensibility and operational accountability are expected.
• Champion AI‑assisted development based on detailed specifications as a core engineering practice across teams. Lead by example using tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and Kiro — and actively drive adoption so the broader engineering organization evolves with the industry.
• Architect, build, and integrate RAG‑based solutions and Agentic AI workflows into enterprise systems.
• Lead design and delivery of Java/Spring Boot backend services and Databricks/Spark data platform solutions — the two anchors of our current production stack.
• Provide technical leadership in architecture reviews, sprint planning, and code review sessions; enforce coding standards and engineering guidelines.
• Mentor and develop engineers across the team. Focus especially on development practices guided by artificial intelligence and production‑quality engineering.
• Collaborate across product, data, platform, and cross‑functional teams to plan and deliver features aligned with the Epsilon PeopleCloud Platform.

Experience & Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of hands‑on software engineering experience; 5+ years in cloud environments
• Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring engineering teams

Core Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in Java (Spring Boot or equivalent frameworks) and Python; Scala a plus
• Strong knowledge of Apache Spark and Databricks (Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Workflows, Live Tables)
• Expertise in SQL, data warehousing, data streaming, and relational/NoSQL databases
• Solid understanding of REST APIs, microservices, and distributed systems
• Practical knowledge of at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Experience with IaC tools (Terraform or Ansible), CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and Kubernetes

AI‑Driven Development

• Mandatory hands‑on, day‑to‑day usage of spec‑driven AI assisted development using tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, or Kiro
• Ability to validate, refine, and productionise AI‑generated code against explicit technical specifications
• Mandatory hands‑on experience with RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) architectures
• Mandatory hands‑on experience with Agentic AI systems (tool‑using agents, orchestration, multi‑step reasoning workflows)

Engineering Mindset

• Strong sense of operational ownership — comfortable supporting production systems, resolving incidents, and engaging on client‑impacting issues
• Outstanding communication skills; proven ability to influence technical direction and collaborate across engineering, product, and architecture teams
• Experience in Test‑Driven Development and agile scrum environments

Why you might stand out from other talent

• Certifications in any of the subject areas listed above
• Frontend exposure (Angular or similar frameworks)
• Observability, monitoring, and performance tuning experience
• Experience working in Unix/Linux environments, including scripting and automation

Benefits

• Time to Recharge: Flexible time off (FTO), 15 paid holidays
• Time to Recover: Paid sick time
• Family Well‑Being: Parental/new child leave, childcare & elder care assistance, adoption assistance
• Extra Perks: Comprehensive health coverage, 401(k), tuition assistance, commuter benefits, professional development, employee recognition, charitable donation matching, health coaching and counselling

Base Salary: $105,000.00 - $195,000.00 annually.

Because You Matter

Epsilon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Epsilon’s policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on actual or perceived race, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy), marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law. Epsilon also prohibits harassment of applicants and employees based on any of these protected categories. Epsilon will provide accommodations to applicants needing accommodations to complete the application process. Please reach out to [e-mail] to request an accommodation.

For San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles Areas: Epsilon will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance and San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901‑4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. Applicants with criminal histories are welcome to apply.