Top Tech Jobs & Startup Jobs in Chicago, IL

Perform hands-on data governance: identify root causes using information management tools and data sources, collaborate with data owners and architects, define governance rules and values, embed governance tests into ETL, engage vendors and stakeholders, and establish/report on data governance metrics and continuous improvements.

Design and build Java-based, messaging and microservice applications. Lead API design, cloud/container solutions (Docker, Kubernetes, AWS/Azure), CI/CD, and relational database development (DB2/Oracle). Provide technical leadership, mentoring, code reviews, and resolve cross-technology roadblocks. Work on blockchain and digital asset solutions (Ethereum, Solana) and smart contracts (Solidity, Rust, Move) within financial services.

Lead cross-functional programs from planning through delivery, manage budgets and stakeholders, ensure quality and customer satisfaction, maintain program status reporting, and follow SDLC and project management best practices.

Lead requirements discovery and translate business needs into detailed user stories, functional specs, and acceptance criteria for e-commerce, loyalty, identity, and API-driven integration programs. Partner with product, engineering, QA, and architects to define API contracts, event-driven workflows, non-functional requirements, Gherkin test scenarios, and ensure traceability through delivery and release readiness.

Lead development of a unified payments platform covering pay-ins, payouts, merchant acquiring, settlement, routing, and reconciliation. Produce PRDs/BRDs, user stories, process maps, and API specs. Partner with engineering, QA, UI/UX, and data teams for agile delivery, release readiness, and operationalization. Define multi-rail routing, payment orchestration, and integrate billing, risk, and compliance.

Design and build RAG-focused data pipelines for LLMs: ETL/ELT for structured and unstructured data, vector database architecture, embedding and chunking strategies, data cleaning/PII removal, metadata engineering, low-latency streaming, and evaluation/versioning to support autonomous agents.

Plan and conduct generative and exploratory qualitative research (interviews, ethnography, diary studies) to uncover user needs and cultural drivers. Synthesize insights into personas, journey maps, opportunity frameworks, and recommendations. Partner with creative, design, product, and strategy teams for concept validation, storytelling, and to inform creative direction. Maintain research ops, documentation, and advocate ethical, user-centered practices.

Lead architecture and technical roadmap for cloud-native, high-performance Java systems. Design microservices, ensure security and availability, mentor engineers, and implement AWS-based, containerized, and IaC solutions.

Analyze legacy TIBCO BusinessWorks/MFT processes to extract business logic, design and build a decoupled Java/Spring Boot microservices platform, migrate protocols to Kafka/RabbitMQ/REST, translate XML-heavy transformations to modern formats, and validate performance and SLAs to match legacy throughput.

Lead UX design for client-facing products, creating wireframes, prototypes, and design systems using Figma. Drive data-informed decisions, conduct user research and usability testing, facilitate workshops, communicate designs to stakeholders and engineering, integrate AI-driven solutions, and ensure high-quality handoffs and documentation.