Staff Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL
Staff Engineer jobs in Chicago are concentrated in the Loop, River North, and the Fulton Market District, with strong demand across fintech, enterprise software, and healthcare technology. Employers hiring right now include Burns & McDonnell, Circana, and Capital One. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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As a Staff Engineer at Capital One, you will be part of a community of technical experts working to define the future of banking in the cloud. You will work alongside our talented team of developers, machine learning experts, product managers and people leaders. Our Staff Engineers are leading experts in their domains, helping devise practical and reusable solutions to complex problems. You will drive innovation at multiple levels, helping optimize business outcomes while delivering strong technology solutions.
At Capital One, we believe diversity of thought strengthens our ability to influence, collaborate and provide the most innovative solutions across organizational boundaries. You will promote a culture of engineering excellence and strike the right balance between lending expertise and providing an inclusive environment where the ideas of others can be heard and championed. You will lead the way in creating next-generation talent for Capital One Tech, mentoring engineers and actively recruiting to keep building our community.
Staff Engineers are expected to lead through technical contribution. You will operate as a trusted advisor for our key technologies, platforms and capability domains, creating clear and concise communications, code samples, blog posts and other materials to share knowledge both inside and outside the organization. You will specialize in a particular subject area, but your input and impact will be sought and expected throughout the organization.
What You’ll Do:
- Articulate and evangelize a bold technical vision for your domain
- Decompose complex problems into practical and operational solutions
- Ensure the quality of technical design and implementation
- Serve as an authoritative expert on non-functional system characteristics, such as performance, scalability and operability
- Continue learning and injecting advanced technical knowledge into our community
- Handle several projects simultaneously, balancing your time to maximize impact
- Act as a role model and mentor within the tech community, helping to coach and strengthen the technical expertise and know-how of our engineering and product community
- Drive modernization of monolithic systems into microservice architectures and event-driven platforms
- Collaborate with senior engineering and architecture leaders to define long-term platform strategy and API standards
- Serve as a force-multiplier for the team, balancing deep, hands-on technical contribution and innovation with mentoring and elevating the skills of peers and junior engineers.
- Lead cross-divisional projects and impacts that promote technological best practices and enhancements
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree or higher in Computer Science or a related quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Engineering)
-
At least 7 years of experience in all of the following:
- Software engineering and solution architecture
- Enterprise architecture and design patterns
- Cloud computing (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud)
- Data architecture
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering
-
10+ years of experience in all of the following:
- Software engineering and solution architecture
- Enterprise architecture and design patterns
- Web technologies (JavaScript, TypeScript and SPA frameworks)
- Designing and building distributed HPC and ML systems
- Cloud computing (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud)
- Data architecture
- 10+ years of professional experience coding in commonly used languages like Go, Java, JavaScript/Typescript, Python, Rust, C#, Scala
- 8+ years of experience with database and database management systems
- 10+ years of professional experience in the full lifecycle of system development, from conception through architecture, implementation, testing, deployment and production support
- 8+ years of experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), cloud-based productivity tools, or virtualization technologies
- 10+ years of experience with Networking protocols and integration with third party distributed systems
- 5+ years of experience mentoring senior engineers and driving professional development within technical teams
- 2+ years of experience leading cross-domain architectural reviews and establishing coding and design standards
- Expertise in the strategic application of agentic AI coding tools to solve systemic development challenges
Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.
The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
Anytown, IL: $244,700 - $279,200 for Staff Full-stack EngineerMcLean, VA: $269,100 - $307,200 for Staff Full-stack Engineer
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days. No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).
See All 65 Staff Engineer Jobs in Chicago
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Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
- Technology & Software
- Insurance
- Human Resources
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Staff Engineer Jobs in Chicago: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a staff engineer job in Chicago?
The strongest hiring activity in Chicago comes from fintech firms clustered in the Loop, enterprise software companies in River North, and health-tech employers anchored near Streeterville and the Medical District. Candidates who stand out typically have deep experience owning cross-team technical decisions, not just individual delivery. Networking through Chicago-specific tech communities and targeting companies with large distributed engineering organizations gives a meaningful edge in this market.
Which companies hire staff engineers in Chicago?
Employers hiring staff engineers in Chicago right now include Burns & McDonnell, Circana, and Capital One, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Chicago's mix of large financial institutions, fast-scaling tech companies, and established enterprise software firms means staff engineer roles appear across a wide range of organizational sizes and industries.
Are there remote staff engineer jobs in Chicago?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the role: staff engineers in platform, backend, and data infrastructure tend to work remotely more often than those tied to on-site hardware or embedded systems. About 69% of staff engineer openings tied to Chicago are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting broader flexibility in software-focused roles. Cloud infrastructure and distributed systems positions posted by Chicago employers are the most likely to offer fully remote arrangements.
How can I get a staff engineer job in Chicago with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is landing a senior engineer role at a Chicago mid-size tech or fintech company first, then building the cross-team influence and system ownership that staff-level work requires. Chicago employers in payments, insurtech, and health-tech regularly hire strong senior engineers and promote from within. Contributing to internal platform projects, taking on informal technical leadership, and developing relationships with engineering managers in Chicago's active tech meetup scene all accelerate that progression.
Which industries hire the most staff engineers in Chicago?
Chicago staff engineer roles concentrate in Manufacturing, Technology & Software, and Insurance, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Chicago's position as a major financial hub, combined with its growing health-tech corridor and established enterprise software presence, drives consistent demand for staff-level engineering talent across those sectors.
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