Backend Software Developer Jobs in Illinois
Backend Software Developer jobs in Illinois are among the most active in the Midwest, with strong demand concentrated in fintech, enterprise software, healthcare technology, and logistics platforms at every level from entry-level to principal engineer. Chicago anchors the market, while Naperville and Champaign-Urbana generate consistent openings through tech-forward firms and university-affiliated ventures. Well-established Illinois employers such as Morningstar, Zebra Technologies, and Discover Financial Services have long-running backend engineering teams with recurring needs across API development, cloud infrastructure, and distributed systems work. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 13+ Backend Software Developer jobs
Date: Sep 25, 2026
Location: CHICAGO, IL, US, 60661-4555
Company: Grainger Businesses
Work Location Type: Hybrid
Req Number 334425
About Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America and Japan. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.6 million customers worldwide with maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and value-added solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer expertise. Known for its commitment to service and purpose-driven culture, the Company reported 2025 revenue of $17.9 billion. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.
Compensation
The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $112,900.00 - $188,100.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 10% or $, based on the achievement of individual and company performance objectives in accordance with the current terms of the incentive program which are subject to change.
Rewards and Benefits
With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:
- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
- 23 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
- 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
- Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
- Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.
For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:
https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire
Grainger Benefits
The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation. The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.
The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above.
Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.
You will work as a Senior Engineer on a Customer Order team. The team is responsible for largely three things:
The cart customers interact with on, eventually, all channels at Grainger. Currently this is limited to our main Grainger.com experience.
Provide internal capabilities to calculate the cost of an Order to a customer. This means resolving interesting Freight, Pricing and Tax considerations for our customers.
Lastly, we manage the payment and invoicing capabilities to ensure people can securely access their payment information.
To give you a picture of our scale, we can see 100,000s orders per day and each one of those has at least one cart, one payment method, and one order calculation. We are a critical component of the customer’s experience and require a team that build solutions that scale.
- Build applications and develop product design solutions in partnership with engineers, architects, and analysts leading to scalable and maintainable software solutions
- Utilize (Frontend/Backend/Full Stack) specialized skills based on specific platform or domain as required
- Implement continuous delivery activities (CICD) and drive engineering best practices
- Support team activities and pair with peers to work on stories
- Coach and mentor junior engineers
- Consistently practice sensible defaults
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
- 3+ years experience with modern software engineering; designing, building, and deploying scalable software applications required
- Understanding of distributed system design
- Experience analyzing and interpreting complex problems and processes
- Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and DevOps practices
- Familiarity with building HTTP API
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.
Date: Sep 25, 2026
Location: CHICAGO, IL, US, 60661-4555
Company: Grainger Businesses
Work Location Type: Hybrid
Req Number 334425
About Grainger
W.W. Grainger, Inc. is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America and Japan. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.6 million customers worldwide with maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and value-added solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer expertise. Known for its commitment to service and purpose-driven culture, the Company reported 2025 revenue of $17.9 billion. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.
Compensation
The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $112,900.00 - $188,100.00. This role is eligible for an incentive target of up to 10% or $, based on the achievement of individual and company performance objectives in accordance with the current terms of the incentive program which are subject to change.
Rewards and Benefits
With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:
- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
- 23 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
- 6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
- Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
- Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.
For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:
https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire
Grainger Benefits
The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation. The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.
The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above.
Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.
You will work as a Senior Engineer on a Customer Order team. The team is responsible for largely three things:
The cart customers interact with on, eventually, all channels at Grainger. Currently this is limited to our main Grainger.com experience.
Provide internal capabilities to calculate the cost of an Order to a customer. This means resolving interesting Freight, Pricing and Tax considerations for our customers.
Lastly, we manage the payment and invoicing capabilities to ensure people can securely access their payment information.
To give you a picture of our scale, we can see 100,000s orders per day and each one of those has at least one cart, one payment method, and one order calculation. We are a critical component of the customer’s experience and require a team that build solutions that scale.
- Build applications and develop product design solutions in partnership with engineers, architects, and analysts leading to scalable and maintainable software solutions
- Utilize (Frontend/Backend/Full Stack) specialized skills based on specific platform or domain as required
- Implement continuous delivery activities (CICD) and drive engineering best practices
- Support team activities and pair with peers to work on stories
- Coach and mentor junior engineers
- Consistently practice sensible defaults
- Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
- 3+ years experience with modern software engineering; designing, building, and deploying scalable software applications required
- Understanding of distributed system design
- Experience analyzing and interpreting complex problems and processes
- Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and DevOps practices
- Familiarity with building HTTP API
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.
See All 13 Backend Software Developer Jobs in Illinois
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Find JobsBackend Software Developer Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Backend Software Developer Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in backend software developer jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related field
- Proficiency in at least one backend language such as Java, Python, Go, or Node.js
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs and microservices architectures
- Familiarity with relational and NoSQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB
- Working knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Experience with version control systems and CI/CD pipelines in a team environment
Backend Software Developer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a backend software developer in Illinois?
Backend software developer roles in Illinois require no state-issued license or registration, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skill. Most Illinois employers expect at minimum a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related discipline, though candidates from coding bootcamps with strong portfolios do break in. Building projects that demonstrate backend fundamentals and contributing to open-source work strengthens any application considerably.
How much do backend software developers make in Illinois?
Backend software developers 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 software developers in Illinois?
Employers hiring backend software developers in Illinois right now include SMARTZ, Comcast, and FIS, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Illinois's deep concentration of fintech, insurance technology, and enterprise software firms means backend roles here frequently involve high-transaction systems and regulated data environments.
Which Illinois cities have the most backend software developer jobs?
Chicago, Champaign, and Vernon Hills account for the largest share of backend software developer openings in Illinois. Chicago dominates because it is home to the region's major financial services, healthcare technology, and logistics firms, while Naperville and other suburban Chicago corridors attract enterprise software companies and corporate technology centers that generate consistent backend hiring outside the city core.
Are there remote backend software developer jobs in Illinois?
Yes, and more than most fields. Backend software development is well suited to remote and hybrid arrangements because the work is code- and tool-based with no physical presence requirement. About 75% of backend software developer openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how broadly Illinois tech employers have adopted flexible work models. Roles in cloud infrastructure, API development, and platform engineering tend to carry the highest share of remote listings.
How can I get hired as a backend software developer in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is landing a junior or associate software engineer role through a new-graduate program at a large Illinois employer. Companies like Morningstar, Zebra Technologies, and major Chicago-area financial institutions run structured new-grad cohorts that onboard candidates directly from university or intensive training programs. Candidates transitioning from QA engineering, data analysis, or IT support roles also move into backend development by demonstrating scripting ability and database knowledge, with a personal project portfolio serving as the most effective credential when a formal degree is still in progress.
Where can I find and apply to backend software developer jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to backend software developer jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings updated in real time. Search the available roles, find the ones that fit your background and preferred location, and apply directly to each opening without any intermediary step.
See All 13 Backend Software Developer Jobs in Illinois
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