Backend Engineer Jobs in Illinois
Backend Engineer jobs in Illinois are in strong demand, with active hiring concentrated in financial technology, enterprise software, healthcare IT, and cloud infrastructure, covering roles from entry-level engineers through principal and staff-level positions. Chicago anchors the market and is home to established employers like Morningstar, Allstate, and United Airlines, while the broader metro and secondary hubs like Champaign-Urbana and Rockford contribute additional openings. The most sought-after specializations in Illinois are distributed systems, API development, and cloud-native backend work on platforms like AWS and Azure. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Job Description
As an Associate Backend Software Engineer II in AbbVie Business Technology Solutions (BTS), you’ll have opportunities to contribute to the digital transformation of a leading biopharma company, helping to create solutions that impact patients and their communities for the better.
The ideal candidate will excel in delivering adaptable and user-friendly web applications and data analysis pipelines that can evolve to meet scientists’ needs. Additionally, the successful candidate will have the ability to independently identify, engineer, and optimize new software solutions to address critical business requirements. A continuous drive to improve existing methods and processes is essential.
Responsibilities:
- Independently design and develop software to answer scientific or business questions, demonstrating proficiency across a range of technologies related to programming languages, data integration, and data visualization and analysis.
- Design, develop, and maintain backend components of enterprise applications.
- Ensure security and integrity of software solutions, safeguarding data and system operations.
- Continuously seeks learning opportunities to stay updated with emerging web technologies and data analysis tools, applying innovative solutions to improve processes and outcomes.
- Use AbbVie values to govern decisions, actions and behaviors, ensuring that work reflects our commitments to Patients, Affordability, Accountability & Service Commitment, Decisiveness, Innovation & Thoughtful Risk while fostering Diversity & Inclusion, Integrity & Respect, Learning, Continuous Improvement & Personal Growth, Teamwork & Collaboration.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree - preferably in Computer Science or Data Science - plus 2 years of experience OR Master’s degree with 0 years of experience.
- Strong programming skills in Java, Javascript, SQL, and Typescript.
- Comfortable working in a dynamic environment and developing flexible solutions to meet evolving requirements.
- Ability to work independently with strong time management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to communicate effectively with scientists, developers, application analysts, managers and IT professionals.
- Good presentation, training, and documentation skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- APEX development experience in Salesforce.
- Experience with incorporating Generative AI techniques into custom software solutions
Additional Information
Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:
- The compensation range described below is the range of possible base pay compensation that the Company believes in good faith it will pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors including geographic location, and we may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future.
- We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick), medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.
- This job is eligible to participate in our short-term incentive programs.
Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, incentive, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole and absolute discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole and absolute discretion, consistent with applicable law.
AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.
US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html
US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more:
https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html
See All 22 Backend Engineer Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Backend Engineer JobsBackend Engineer Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Backend Engineer Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Education
- Healthcare & Medical Services
- Investment & Asset Management
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in backend engineer jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field
- Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Java, Python, Go, or Node.js
- Experience designing and building RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
- Familiarity with relational and NoSQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB
- Working knowledge of cloud platforms, particularly AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Demonstrated experience with version control, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile development workflows
Backend Engineer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a backend engineer in Illinois?
Backend engineering is not state-licensed in Illinois, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill rather than a credential board. Most Illinois employers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field, though strong candidates from bootcamps or self-taught backgrounds are regularly hired when they can show substantial project work. Building a portfolio of backend projects, contributing to open-source work, and earning vendor certifications in AWS or Azure meaningfully strengthens applications to Illinois employers.
How much do backend engineers make in Illinois?
Backend engineers in Illinois earn a median of about $132,110 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $80,980 for the lowest 10% to over $194,740 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire backend engineers in Illinois?
Employers hiring backend engineers in Illinois right now include Capital One, Site Technologies, and QUO, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Illinois's deep concentration of financial services firms, insurance companies, and healthcare technology organizations means backend engineers here frequently work on high-throughput transaction systems, data pipelines, and enterprise integrations.
Which Illinois cities have the most backend engineer jobs?
Chicago, Illinois, and Addison have the most backend engineer openings in Illinois. Chicago dominates the distribution because it hosts the headquarters and major offices of the state's largest financial services, insurance, and technology employers, while any suburban or secondary cities on the list reflect the presence of large corporate campuses, university research institutions, or regional technology hubs that maintain their own engineering teams.
Are there remote backend engineer jobs in Illinois?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 93% of backend engineer openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, which reflects how naturally suited the role is to distributed work. The positions most commonly offered as fully remote tend to be mid-to-senior individual contributor roles in API development, cloud infrastructure, and platform engineering, where deliverables are measured in code and systems rather than physical presence.
How can I get hired as a backend engineer in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is landing an associate software engineer or junior developer role, which large Illinois employers in financial services and enterprise software regularly post as graduate-level or new-hire positions. Companies like Morningstar, Allstate, and major Chicago-area technology consultancies run structured new-grad and rotational programs that onboard engineers without professional experience. Building two or three backend projects with a public repository, earning an AWS Cloud Practitioner or similar entry certification, and applying through internship-to-hire pipelines at Illinois universities are the moves that most consistently open doors.
Where can I find and apply to backend engineer jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to backend engineer jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings updated in real time. Find the roles that fit your experience and preferred location, then apply directly to the employer through the listing without any intermediary step required.
See All 22 Backend Engineer Jobs in Illinois
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