Lead Software Engineer

Morningstar•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Morningstar Retirement Group, we’re all in for investors. Our mission is to empower individuals to achieve better retirement outcomes through personalized, data-driven guidance. We build innovative tools that adapt to each investor’s unique financial situation. Our teams combine strong product thinking, close cross-functional collaboration, and thoughtful application of AI to solve complex problems and deliver high-impact solutions. The Role In this role, you’ll split your time evenly between technical team leadership and individual contributor. As the leader of a cross-functional squad, you’ll collaborate closely with stakeholders to drive timely delivery of projects. Your responsibilities will encompass end-to-end ownership of components, with a focus on maintaining quality, stability, and driving technical enhancements. You will form strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure alignment and success. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to learn and adapt to emerging technologies, as we strive to innovate and refine our business. As an engineer, you’ll primarily work with modern JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks such as Vue3, Nuxt, and NestJS, while contributing to backend systems built with C#/.NET and SQL. AI-Driven Engineering We are actively integrating AI across the software development lifecycle to improve speed, quality, and scalability. This includes: AI-assisted development to accelerate implementation Automated code reviews to improve consistency and maintainability Intelligent issue triage and prioritization Workflow automation to reduce manual overhead Exploration of emerging capabilities such as autonomous agents, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and AI-generated testing We’re looking for engineers who are excited to experiment with and apply these technologies in real-world scenarios.

Requirements

5+ years of experience building production-grade applications
Strong proficiency in JavaScript and TypeScript
Experience with modern frontend frameworks (e.g., Vue.js or React)
Solid understanding of browser technologies, HTML, and CSS
Experience building backend services using frameworks such as Nuxt or NestJS
Strong understanding of fundamental software concepts including Design Patterns, Object-Oriented Programming, HTTP(S), RESTful API, SSO, security, unit testing, and databases.
Possesses Agile and project management skills to contribute effectively to team workflows
Strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.
Experience using AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude, CLI-based agents) to enhance development workflows

Responsibilities

Lead technical discussions and contribute to architectural decisions for new features and services
Design, implement, and maintain scalable, reliable, secure, and high-quality software solutions
Mentor engineers to uphold code standards and to contribute to the team's technical growth
Continuously learn and adapt to new technologies and processes
Participate in the on-call rotation for production support every two months

Benefits

100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups