Software Engineering Senior Manager

Sidley Austin LLP • Chicago, IL

12d • $210,000 - $230,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Software Engineering Senior Manager is a senior technical leader responsible for architecting, building, and operating the firm's cloud-native automation platform. This role requires deep expertise in Azure cloud architecture, distributed systems, and software engineering, with automation platform knowledge as a secondary skill. This is a technical leadership role first, people management second. The ideal candidate comes from a cloud engineering, platform engineering, or full-stack development background with DevOps expertise—not from traditional RPA or low-code automation tools. Salaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. If an estimated salary range for this role is available, it will be provided in our Target Salary Range section. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits .

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field; or equivalent professional experience with demonstrable cloud architecture expertise
• Minimum 6 years of hands-on software engineering experience building cloud-native applications on Azure
• Minimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), or equivalent container orchestration platforms
• Minimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teams (4+ engineers)
• Proven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices architecture and event-driven patterns
• Deep Azure networking expertise including VNETs, subnets, Network Security Groups, private endpoints, Private DNS Zones, VNET peering, Application Gateway, and NAT Gateway
• Hands-on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configuration
• Expert-level Bicep or Terraform proficiency with ability to read, write, and debug complex Infrastructure-as-Code modules (500+ lines)
• Deep understanding of microservices communication patterns including synchronous HTTP, asynchronous messaging, event-driven architecture, and service discovery
• Experience with CQRS and Mediator patterns (MediatR or equivalent)
• Proficiency in C# and .NET (minimum .NET 6, preferably .NET 8+) including NET Core Web API with Controllers, Async/await patterns and Task-based asynchronous programming, LINQ and lambda expressions, Dependency injection and Options pattern and Entity Framework Core
• Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including js development, Async patterns (Promises, async/await), npm/pnpm package management, Module systems (CommonJS, ES modules) and scripting proficiency in Bash or PowerShell for deployment automation and troubleshooting
• Expert-level experience with Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-stage pipelines, pipeline templates, variable groups, and environment-based deployments
• Container image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization, multi-stage builds, and Azure Container Registry integration
• Proven ability to mentor software engineers on cloud-native development patterns, distributed systems concepts, and Azure architecture
• Strong code review skills with ability to provide constructive feedback on backend APIs, infrastructure code, and integration logic
• Systematic troubleshooting approach for complex distributed systems issues
• Ability to diagnose Azure networking problems including DNS resolution failures, private endpoint connectivity issues, and Application Gateway routing problems
• Strong analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives with shifting priorities and tight deadlines
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

Nice To Haves

• Azure Certifications
• AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions
• AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
• AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
• Advanced Technical Skills
• Experience with .NET Aspire for cloud-native application orchestration and service discovery
• Proficiency with n8n or equivalent workflow automation platforms (Temporal, Prefect, Airflow)
• Event Grid and Event Hubs for event-driven architectures
• Agile/Scrum certifications including Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe Agilist
• Experience in professional services industry (legal, financial services, accounting, consulting)
• Understanding of enterprise security and compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR)
• Familiarity with legal technology or document management systems

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the distributed system architecture for the cloud-native automation platform, including Azure Container Apps, Service Bus, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Blob Storage
• Design event-driven architectures using Azure Service Bus for high-volume asynchronous processing
• Optimize platform performance, cost, and operational complexity through architectural improvements
• Lead .NET backend development including ASP.NET Core APIs, CQRS pattern with MediatR, Entity Framework Core, and FluentValidation
• Guide TypeScript development for custom n8n integration nodes and webhook lifecycle management
• Conduct code reviews ensuring adherence to SOLID principles, async programming best practices, and distributed systems patterns
• Own and evolve multi-stage Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-phase infrastructure deployment, container image builds, and environment-specific deployments
• Manage and mentor 4-6 software engineers (growing to 8-10), focusing on cloud engineering skill development
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to translate workflow automation requirements into cloud-native technical solutions

Benefits

• Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program.
• Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees