Associate software engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Work Location Type: Hybrid

Req Number 334124

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 $112,900.00 – $188,100.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 10 %, 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.

"This position is not eligible for any form of sponsorship now or in the future. Individuals requiring sponsorship (e.g. OPT or H1B visa status) should not apply. Only individuals authorized to work in the United States now and for the foreseeable future will be considered for this position."

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.
• 18 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.

For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:

https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire

Grainger Benefits

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.

Position Details

As a Senior Software Engineer (Software Engineer III), you will join Grainger's Product Associations & Recommendations team, helping shape how customers discover the right products on Grainger.com. The team is responsible for the systems that define product relationships and power recommendations, from the workstation tooling used to author associations to the APIs that serve real-time recommendations across Grainger’s platforms. We also own critical publishing platforms that connect product data and customer experiences across Grainger.com.

A key focus of our work is modernization. We are building greenfield systems designed to replace aging legacy infrastructure, delivering scalable, maintainable solutions that support Grainger's long-term growth. Engineers on our team work across the full stack with a backend focus, building Kotlin and Java services, APIs, and data-driven solutions while partnering closely with product, machine learning, and frontend teams. We take pride in writing well-tested, production-ready code that delivers meaningful customer impact.

As a Senior Engineer, you will lead projects that move the needle for Grainger’s business. You will have substantial autonomy to solve complex problems, work through ambiguity, and help establish project-level direction while delivering high-quality software. Success in this role means balancing technical execution with collaboration, helping move initiatives from design and discovery through implementation and delivery.

You will report to the Engineering Manager of Product Associations and Recommendations.

You Will

• Build applications and develop solutions in partnership with engineers, architects, and analysts leading to scalable and maintainable software solutions.

• Utilize full-stack development skills with a focus on backend services and APIs based on specific platform or domain requirements.

• Implement continuous delivery activities (CI/CD) and drive engineering best practices.

• Support team activities and pair with peers to work on stories.

• Coach and mentor junior engineers.

• Design, build, and maintain Kotlin/Java services and APIs that power product recommendations, category associations, and related customer experiences across Grainger digital platforms.

• Partner with engineering, product, machine learning, and frontend teams to deliver recommendation and association capabilities that improve customer discovery experiences.

You Have

• Experience building and deploying scalable distributed systems.

• Strong proficiency in Kotlin or Java and experience developing backend services and APIs using modern frameworks such as Spring Boot.

• Experience working across the full software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and support.

• Experience analyzing and solving complex technical problems.

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required.

• 3+ years of experience building software applications in a professional engineering environment.

• Familiarity with Node.js and TypeScript.

• Experience incorporating AI-assisted development tools into the software engineering lifecycle, including code generation, documentation, requirements refinement, and solution design.

• Familiarity DevOps practices.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on recommendation engines, product associations, data publishing platforms, or ecommerce applications.

• Experience with AWS and containerized applications.

• Experience with SQL and data platforms such as Snowflake and Databricks.

• Experience with CI/CD platforms such as GitHub Actions.

• Experience with React, Python, or PySpark.

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.