Software architect Jobs in Chicago, IL

Description

About Us

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned firm founded in 1937. As specialists in investment, risk management, and advisory services, we are committed to helping our institutional, corporate, and individual clients achieve their objectives. Our professionals are inspired by an entrepreneurial desire to develop tailored solutions designed to deliver measurable results.

The Role

As a Senior Software Architect, you'll be at the forefront of our technological transformation, leading the modernization of our internal application stack. You’ll design and implement scalable, fault-tolerant, and reusable architectures that enable rapid feature development and seamless integration across our platform. This role is crucial in bridging the gap between our legacy mixed-technology environment and a future-ready, unified architecture. The Senior Software Architect will be a visionary, spearheading efforts in re-architecting the application stack with a focus on microservices, promoting reusability, and ensuring scalability across our diverse business units.

Key Responsibilities

Design and implement robust, scalable software architectures that promote code and data reuse across applications and business units

Lead the transition from monolithic applications to a microservices-based architecture, ensuring loose coupling and high cohesion

Develop and maintain a comprehensive API strategy, including RESTful and GraphQL APIs

Design and implement caching strategies (e.g. Redis) to optimize performance

Architect solutions for data consistency and integrity in distributed systems, implementing patterns such as CORS and Event Sourcing

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and translate them into technical specifications

Mentor software engineers in best practices for scalable, service-oriented architectures

Evaluate and recommend new technologies to enhance our technology stack

Lead the adoption of container orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes)

Implement service discovery, load balancing, and circuit breaker patters

Implement event-driven architectures when needed using message queues (e.g., Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ)

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or related field

10+ years of experience in software development, with at least 5 years in software service architecture and development roles

Extensive experience with microservices architecture, domain-driven design, and event-driven architecture patterns

In-depth knowledge of distributed systems, API design, cloud computing, and scalability best practices

Strong understanding of DevOps practices, CI / CD pipelines, and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and their respective services for building scalable, fault-tolerant systems

Strong proficiency in C#, Python, and JavaScript, with the ability to work across multiple languages

Experience with SQL as well as both relational and NoSQL databases, including working knowledge of ORM technologies

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in implementing observability solutions (logging, monitoring, and tracing) for microservice architectures

Experience with service mesh technologies (e.g., Istio, Linkerd) for managing microservice communication

Knowledge of serverless architectures and Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) platforms

Exposure to the finance industry or with financial software systems

Familiarity with Databricks and big data processing technologies

Certifications in relevant cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

Key Competencies

Strategic thinking and ability to align technical solutions with business and firm objectives

Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Strong leadership and mentoring abilities

Analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on scalable, efficient solutions

Adaptability and eagerness to learn new technologies and methodologies

Attention to detail and commitment to code quality and best practices

Ability to balance technical debt reduction with feature delivery and business priorities

What We Offer

Opportunity to lead transformative projects in a dynamic financial technology environment

Collaborative and innovative work culture that values continuous learning and growth

Competitive salary and benefits package

Hybrid work arrangements

Regular opportunities for professional development and training

Join us in reshaping the future of financial technology. If you're passionate about creating scalable, efficient, and innovative software architectures, we want to hear from you!

In accordance with the Illinois Pay Transparency Law, the anticipated hiring base salary for the role will be between $150,000 and $200,000 per year. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, also provides the opportunity for a performance based bonus and the Mesirow benefit program.