Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Senior AI Software Engineer jobs in Illinois are among the most actively recruited technology roles in the Midwest, concentrated in enterprise software, financial technology, healthcare analytics, and cloud infrastructure. Chicago leads hiring volume, with significant activity in Schaumburg and Champaign-Urbana, where major employers including Motorola Solutions, Allstate, and Tempus have built lasting AI engineering teams. The most in-demand specialties are large language model integration, MLOps, and computer vision applied to regulated industries. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles30
Top employerRelativity
Top cityChicago, IL
Cities hiring9
Work type65% Hybrid
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 30+ Senior AI Software Engineer jobs

Relativity
Advanced Software Engineer - Ai Surfaces
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Relativity
Added 5d ago
Advanced Software Engineer - Ai Surfaces
Relativity
Illinois
Cloud Engineering
Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Technical Program Management
$103k - $155k/yr
Remote (US)
1,001-5,000

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Relativity
Lead Software Engineer - AI Surfaces
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Relativity
Added 5d ago
Lead Software Engineer - AI Surfaces
Relativity
Illinois
Compliance & Legal
Compliance & Risk
Security & Protective Services
$150k - $224k/yr
1,001-5,000

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Relativity
Senior Software Engineer - AI Surfaces
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Relativity
Added 5d ago
Senior Software Engineer - AI Surfaces
Relativity
Illinois
Quality Assurance & Testing (QA Testing)
Software Engineering
Technical Program Management
$126k - $190k/yr
Remote (US)
1,001-5,000

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West Monroe
Senior AI Product Manager, TechEx, Software, US
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West Monroe
Added 5d ago
Senior AI Product Manager, TechEx, Software, US
West Monroe
Chicago, Illinois
Data Analytics
Data Science
$111k - $150k/yr
1,001-5,000

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Northern Trust Corp.
Sr Associate Software Engineer, AI Security
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Northern Trust Corp.
Added 5d ago
Sr Associate Software Engineer, AI Security
Northern Trust Corp.
Chicago, Illinois
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
$89k - $151k/yr
10,000+

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See All 30 Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Illinois

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Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs by City in Illinois

Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Niles
1 job
Lemont
1 job
Naperville
1 job
Northbrook
1 job
Bloomington
1 job
Rock Island
1 job
Downers Grove
1 job
North Chicago
1 job

Senior AI Software Engineer Job Market in Illinois

A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

Relativity
Relativity3 open roles
Fitch
Fitch3 open roles
Northern Trust
Northern Trust3 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software

What Illinois Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in senior AI software engineer jobs across Illinois.

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, AI, or a closely related field
  • Five or more years of production experience building and deploying machine learning models
  • Proficiency in Python and at least one major ML framework such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
  • Demonstrated experience with MLOps pipelines, model monitoring, and cloud platforms
  • Strong background in LLM fine-tuning, prompt engineering, or generative AI application development
  • Ability to lead cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers on AI best practices

Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a senior ai software engineer in Illinois?

Reaching the senior level as an AI software engineer in Illinois typically requires a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, machine learning, or a related field, followed by several years building production AI systems. Illinois does not require a state-issued license for software engineers. Most Illinois employers promote to senior roles based on demonstrated ownership of end-to-end model development, leadership on technical projects, and depth in a domain like fintech, healthtech, or enterprise automation.

How much do senior AI software engineers make in Illinois?

Senior AI software 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 senior ai software engineers in Illinois?

Employers hiring senior ai software engineers in Illinois right now include Relativity, Fitch, and Northern Trust, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Illinois's concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters, regional financial institutions, and established healthtech companies means senior AI roles tend to appear across a broad range of industries rather than clustering solely in pure tech startups.

Which Illinois cities have the most senior ai software engineer jobs?

Chicago, Illinois, and Niles have the most senior ai software engineer openings in Illinois. Chicago dominates because of its density of financial services firms, enterprise tech companies, and healthcare systems with large AI investment, while suburban markets like Schaumburg and Deerfield carry demand from major corporate campuses, and Champaign-Urbana draws on its proximity to the University of Illinois's deep research talent pipeline.

Are there remote senior ai software engineer jobs in Illinois?

Yes, and more than most fields. About 100% of senior ai software engineer openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how naturally the role lends itself to distributed collaboration. Research-heavy work such as model development, experimentation, and architecture design tends to be the most remote-friendly, while roles requiring on-site data access or collaboration with regulated operations more often require a hybrid or in-office presence.

How can I get hired as a senior ai software engineer in Illinois with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is through a junior or associate machine learning engineer role, where you build production experience before moving toward senior positions. Large Illinois employers such as Allstate and Discover run rotational technology programs and new-graduate hiring tracks that accept candidates with strong academic projects or open-source contributions in lieu of full work experience. Lateral moves from data analyst or software developer roles are also common, and a portfolio demonstrating end-to-end model deployment gives candidates a meaningful edge during screening.

Where can I find and apply to senior ai software engineer jobs in Illinois?

You can find and apply to senior ai software engineer jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings updated regularly. Search the listings, find roles that match your experience and preferred location or work arrangement, and apply directly to each employer.

See All 30 Senior AI Software Engineer Jobs in Illinois

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