Platform Engineering Lead Jobs in Illinois
Platform Engineering Lead jobs in Illinois are in strong demand, concentrated in cloud infrastructure, financial technology, and enterprise software sectors, with openings from senior individual contributors through principal-level leadership. Chicago anchors the market, with additional hiring activity in Naperville and Schaumburg, where companies like Morningstar, Allstate, and United Airlines maintain established engineering organizations. Kubernetes platform management, internal developer platform development, and cloud cost optimization are the sub-specialties Illinois employers prioritize most consistently. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 13+ Platform Engineering Lead jobs
Location: Joliet, IL (5 days on-site)
Company Overview:
Hyundai Autoever America (HAEA) is the dynamic IT powerhouse behind Hyundai Motor Corporation, a Fortune 500 global leader in the automotive industry. As a key affiliate, we provide cutting-edge IT services and Managed Services Provider support to top brands including Kia, Genesis, Hyundai Translead, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Capital, and Glovis. HAEA offers a truly global and collaborative environment. Here, you'll drive innovation, boost operational efficiency, and help shape the future of mobility for the Hyundai Motor Group. At HAEA, we understand that IT is the cornerstone of today's fast-evolving digital world. By uniting all IT resources under one roof, we deliver consistent, top-quality solutions while serving as the crucial information link between Hyundai's Global Headquarters and North American operations. If you're passionate about technology and eager to make a real impact at a world-class company, Hyundai AutoEver America is the place to grow your career. Join us and be part of the transformation that's driving the future of automotive innovation. Website: http://www.haeaus.com
What you will be doing:
Selected candidate will be responsible for the overall management, design, administration, and optimization of platform infrastructure, storage, backup, and network systems supporting manufacturing and business operations at the HAEA Joliet plant. Provide guidance and direction to technical staff in order to support HAEA business objectives and ensure high availability of plant operations.
Key roles & responsibilities:
- Lead and mentor the platform engineering team to plan, operate, and troubleshoot the Joliet plant's infrastructure and operational workload.
- Lead day-to-day IT Operations for the Joliet plant, including incident, problem, and change management, service levels, and 24x7 operational readiness across all platform, storage, backup, and network services.
- Provide guidance and direction for a broad range of technical solutions to install, upgrade, secure, tune, monitor, and maintain Windows and Linux server environments and their underlying virtualization and compute infrastructure.
- Oversee administration, capacity planning, and performance optimization of HPE Nimble/Alletra storage and data protection using Veeam Backup & Replication.
- Direct the management, configuration, and support of Cisco network devices (routers, switches, firewalls) to ensure secure and reliable plant connectivity.
- Identify program needs and coordinate solutions and support for plant operations.
- Design and oversee efficient, effective IT management processes aligned with ITIL best practices.
- Identify and resolve user/customer issues impacting plant operations.
- On-call 24x7 for operational support and onsite rotation for P1/P2 major incident management and emergency response.
- Manages the work efforts of supervisors/individual contributors.
- Responsible for hiring, firing, performance appraisals, and pay reviews.
- Makes decisions based on unit objectives, as well as company policies and procedures.
- Manage onshore and offshore platform and infrastructure engineers.
Decision Making/Discretion
- Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Exercises judgment in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
- Networks with key contacts outside own area of expertise.
Strategy Development
- Determines methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel.
- Bachelor of Science degree preferred or equivalent work experience (including 6+ years experience in Information Technology).
- 10 Years managing a technical support or infrastructure team.
- Experience leading a team in the integration and support of Windows and Linux (RedHat/CentOS) server environments and virtualization platforms.
- Hands-on experience managing HPE Nimble/Alletra storage and Veeam Backup & Replication.
- Strong working knowledge of Cisco network devices (routing, switching, and firewalls).
- 7+ years of experience in managing compute, storage, backup, and network infrastructure.
- 2+ years management experience
- Prior experience supporting a manufacturing or plant environment strongly preferred.
- ITIL certification preferred.
- AWS and/or Azure certification preferred.
AXevienEEb
Location: Joliet, IL (5 days on-site)
Company Overview:
Hyundai Autoever America (HAEA) is the dynamic IT powerhouse behind Hyundai Motor Corporation, a Fortune 500 global leader in the automotive industry. As a key affiliate, we provide cutting-edge IT services and Managed Services Provider support to top brands including Kia, Genesis, Hyundai Translead, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Capital, and Glovis. HAEA offers a truly global and collaborative environment. Here, you'll drive innovation, boost operational efficiency, and help shape the future of mobility for the Hyundai Motor Group. At HAEA, we understand that IT is the cornerstone of today's fast-evolving digital world. By uniting all IT resources under one roof, we deliver consistent, top-quality solutions while serving as the crucial information link between Hyundai's Global Headquarters and North American operations. If you're passionate about technology and eager to make a real impact at a world-class company, Hyundai AutoEver America is the place to grow your career. Join us and be part of the transformation that's driving the future of automotive innovation. Website: http://www.haeaus.com
What you will be doing:
Selected candidate will be responsible for the overall management, design, administration, and optimization of platform infrastructure, storage, backup, and network systems supporting manufacturing and business operations at the HAEA Joliet plant. Provide guidance and direction to technical staff in order to support HAEA business objectives and ensure high availability of plant operations.
Key roles & responsibilities:
- Lead and mentor the platform engineering team to plan, operate, and troubleshoot the Joliet plant's infrastructure and operational workload.
- Lead day-to-day IT Operations for the Joliet plant, including incident, problem, and change management, service levels, and 24x7 operational readiness across all platform, storage, backup, and network services.
- Provide guidance and direction for a broad range of technical solutions to install, upgrade, secure, tune, monitor, and maintain Windows and Linux server environments and their underlying virtualization and compute infrastructure.
- Oversee administration, capacity planning, and performance optimization of HPE Nimble/Alletra storage and data protection using Veeam Backup & Replication.
- Direct the management, configuration, and support of Cisco network devices (routers, switches, firewalls) to ensure secure and reliable plant connectivity.
- Identify program needs and coordinate solutions and support for plant operations.
- Design and oversee efficient, effective IT management processes aligned with ITIL best practices.
- Identify and resolve user/customer issues impacting plant operations.
- On-call 24x7 for operational support and onsite rotation for P1/P2 major incident management and emergency response.
- Manages the work efforts of supervisors/individual contributors.
- Responsible for hiring, firing, performance appraisals, and pay reviews.
- Makes decisions based on unit objectives, as well as company policies and procedures.
- Manage onshore and offshore platform and infrastructure engineers.
Decision Making/Discretion
- Works on complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors. Exercises judgment in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
- Networks with key contacts outside own area of expertise.
Strategy Development
- Determines methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel.
- Bachelor of Science degree preferred or equivalent work experience (including 6+ years experience in Information Technology).
- 10 Years managing a technical support or infrastructure team.
- Experience leading a team in the integration and support of Windows and Linux (RedHat/CentOS) server environments and virtualization platforms.
- Hands-on experience managing HPE Nimble/Alletra storage and Veeam Backup & Replication.
- Strong working knowledge of Cisco network devices (routing, switching, and firewalls).
- 7+ years of experience in managing compute, storage, backup, and network infrastructure.
- 2+ years management experience
- Prior experience supporting a manufacturing or plant environment strongly preferred.
- ITIL certification preferred.
- AWS and/or Azure certification preferred.
AXevienEEb
See All 13 Platform Engineering Lead Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsPlatform Engineering Lead Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Platform Engineering Lead Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in platform engineering lead jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field
- Seven or more years of experience in software engineering or infrastructure engineering roles
- Demonstrated ownership of platform infrastructure serving multiple internal engineering teams
- Deep expertise with Kubernetes, Terraform, and one or more major cloud providers
- Experience leading and mentoring teams of two or more platform or site reliability engineers
- Strong background with CI/CD pipeline design and internal developer tooling at enterprise scale
Platform Engineering Lead Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a platform engineering lead in Illinois?
Platform engineering lead roles in Illinois do not require a state-issued license or certification. The typical path begins with a computer science or engineering degree, followed by several years working in software engineering, DevOps, or infrastructure roles at Illinois-based tech, financial services, or logistics companies. Demonstrating ownership of a production platform, earning cloud certifications from AWS, Google, or Azure, and contributing to open-source infrastructure projects all strengthen candidacy for lead-level roles in the Illinois market.
How much do platform engineering leads make in Illinois?
Platform engineering leads in Illinois earn a median of about $163,610 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $112,090 for the lowest 10% to over $231,880 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire platform engineering leads in Illinois?
Employers hiring platform engineering leads in Illinois right now include Cboe Global Markets, UST, and Honor, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Illinois's concentration of financial services firms, enterprise software companies, and large insurance carriers means platform engineering leads are in consistent demand well beyond the startup sector.
Which Illinois cities have the most platform engineering lead jobs?
The Illinois cities with the most platform engineering lead openings are Chicago, Joliet, and Westchester. Chicago generates the bulk of demand because it is home to the largest concentration of financial technology firms, enterprise software companies, and corporate headquarters in the state, while Naperville and Schaumburg draw openings from major insurance carriers and technology campuses anchored in Chicago's western suburbs.
Are there remote platform engineering lead jobs in Illinois?
Yes, and more than most fields. Platform engineering is inherently infrastructure and tooling work that operates well remotely, making it one of the more flexible engineering disciplines. About 100% of platform engineering lead openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, which reflects how broadly Illinois employers have adopted distributed engineering teams. The most remote-friendly sub-areas are internal developer platform work and cloud infrastructure management, where on-site presence is rarely required.
How can I get hired as a platform engineering lead in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into platform or infrastructure work from an adjacent role such as backend engineer, DevOps engineer, or site reliability engineer at an Illinois employer, then growing into lead responsibilities over time. Large Illinois technology and financial services organizations regularly hire engineers for associate DevOps or cloud infrastructure roles where platform exposure is built on the job. Earning an AWS, Google Cloud, or Certified Kubernetes Administrator credential before applying demonstrates initiative and gives candidates without a direct platform title a concrete technical edge.
Where can I find and apply to platform engineering lead jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to platform engineering lead jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings updated regularly. Search the available roles, identify the ones that match your experience and preferred location or remote arrangement, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 13 Platform Engineering Lead Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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