Staff Tech Lead (Full Stack)

W. W. Grainger; Lake Forest (IL); Remote; USD 124,000 - 207,000; Full time

Job summary

W.W. Grainger, Inc. is seeking a Lead Software Engineer (Software Engineer IV) to drive scalable, high‑quality software within the Customer Order domain. You will collaborate with Product Managers and Architecture to deliver modern, reliable solutions.

You will mentor engineers, participate in code reviews, and guide engineering best practices. The role requires deep expertise in AWS services, Kafka, MongoDB, Kotlin or Java, and Kubernetes, with a focus on performance and maintainability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years as a Software Engineer with modern software engineering practices.
• Expert knowledge of programming languages and frameworks: JVM, Kotlin, TypeScript, React or similar.
• Strong backend focus with some frontend awareness and experience.
• Experience with distributed systems and integration patterns (Kafka).
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum and DevOps practices.
• Experience evolving monoliths to microservices and aligning cross-team technical strategies.
• Familiarity with backend-for-frontend concepts (BFF) or Node.js APIs is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineer on a team delivering high-quality, scalable software for complex applications.
• Own engineering culture to enable continuous delivery and sensible defaults.
• Lead knowledge sharing and drive adoption of new tech features and practices.
• Maintain production software with strong triage and issue resolution capabilities.
• Mentor developers, conduct code reviews, and perform pair programming.
• Champion engineering best practices including modularity and performance optimization.
• Drive cross-team technical initiatives with Architects and IT leadership.
• Advance CI/CD pipelines, testing strategies, and build automation.

Skills

JVM

Kotlin

Typescript

React

Kafka

AWS

Kubernetes

Datadog

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SQS

SNS

Lambda

MongoDB

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Location: LAKE FOREST, IL, US, 60045-5203

Work Location Type: Remote

About Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc., is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America, Japan and the United Kingdom. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products and solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. Known for its commitment to service and award-winning culture, the Company had 2024 revenue of $17.2 billion across its two business models. In the High-Touch Solutions segment, Grainger offers approximately 2 million maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services, including technical support and inventory management. In the Endless Assortment segment, Zoro.com offers customers access to more than 14 million products, and MonotaRO.com offers more than 24 million products. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.

Compensation

The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $124,200.00 – $207,000.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 15 % or $ , based on the achievement of individual and company performance objectives in accordance with the current terms of the incentive program which are subject to change.

Rewards and Benefits

With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
• 23 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full‑time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
• 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
• Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
• 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.

The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation. The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.

The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above.

Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.

As a Lead Software Engineer (Software Engineer IV) you will develop applications that align with a strategic vision. In addition to coaching engineers, you will partner with key stakeholders including Product Managers and Architecture. You will embrace curiosity to ensure a deep understanding of the business requirements that drive the analysis and physical design of technical solutions.

Within the Customer Order domain, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the user experience and building scalable, high‑performance applications that enhance customer notifications into their order lifecycle. You'll partner with cross‑functional stakeholders to build, evolve, and modernize Grainger's digital experience with a focus on quality, performance, and maintainability.

This is a hands‑on role requiring deep expertise with AWS (Simple Email Service, SQS, SNS, Lambda), Kafka, MongoDB, Kotlin or Java, Kubernetes, Datadog — combined with strong emphasis on technical leadership, mentoring, and collaboration skills.

You Will:

• Lead engineer on a team responsible for the application and delivery of high‑quality, maintainable software for highly complex applications
• Own engineering culture within the team championing sensible defaults to enable continuous delivery activities
• Contribute to continuous learning on your team culture by leading knowledge sharing sessions with latest technological features and engineering practices
• Maintain software in production with demonstrated ability to triage and resolve issues
• Mentor developers, conduct code reviews, and participate in pair programming. Advocate for and implement engineering best practices including component reusability, modularity, separation of concerns, and performance optimzation
• Drive complex technical initiatives in partnership with Architects
• Partners directly with IT Management team to ensure successful design and delivery of technology based solutions
• Drive continuous delivery practices improving CI/CD pipelines, test strategies, and build automation

You Have:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience in computer science or similar; or equivalent experience required
• 5+ years experience as a Software Engineer; with experience in modern software engineering; designing; developing, testing and deploying scalable software applications within a variety of technologies and environments required
• Expert knowledge of programming skills; JVM, Kotlin, Typescript, React, or similar languages
• Strong focus on backend with working knowledge of front end
• Demonstrated knowledge of distributed system design and integration patterns (Kafka)
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and Dev Ops Practices
• Experience with analyzing, interpreting and communicating complex problems and practices
• Demonstrated success in leading the evolution of monoliths to microservices and shaping cross‑team technical strategies.
• Familiarity with backend‑for‑frontend (BFF) concepts or partnering with Node.js backend APIs preferred

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 committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should 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 that we can provide appropriate assistance.