Customer Experience Lead Software Engineer

The Team:
As a Customer Experience Lead Software Engineer on the Advisor Workstation/DAS team, you are the advisor's advocate and the technical owner of complex, cross-system issues impacting usability, performance, functionality, and observability. You will lead the design and deployment of agentic, AI-driven automations that proactively resolve and prevent recurring client issues. Your work will focus on automation, rapid diagnosis, and systemic fixes that improve customer experience.
This position is based in our Chicago office. We follow a hybrid policy of at least 4 days onsite (Monday-Thursday). Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis.
The Role:
As a full stack developer in the Advisor Workstation team, you will provide high-level support to our customers, addressing their day-to-day issues with cutting-edge engineering solutions. In this role, you will:

• Observe and Understand: Monitor and analyze client issues reported for the modules you own. Use AI tools to identify patterns and opportunities for automation.
• Automate and Develop: Design, build, and deploy agentic solutions (AI agents/workflows) that automate the resolution of recurring client issues and proactively prevent them.
• Architect and Propose: Propose and implement features that leverage AI and automation to enhance service quality and reduce manual intervention; partner with development teams to push service forward.
• Research and Solve: Use Python and modern AI tools to investigate root causes and develop robust, automated solutions alongside module owners.
• Cycle Back to Observe: Continuously monitor the effectiveness of implemented automations and refine them as needed.

Additionally, you will:

• Build and deploy well-designed, stable, scalable solutions adhering to established guidelines through peer reviews, unit tests, and deployment processes.
• Analyze and remediate production issues and build observability and operational readiness into the systems architecture.
• Manage development projects throughout the entire project life cycle and applying DevOps practices for continuous and automated deployment.
• Mentor and lead team members in adopting AI tools and agentic automation practices, guiding them in delivering solutions and resolving technical problems.
• Drive a culture of proactive customer experience by identifying hotspots through data analysis, proposing fixes, and deploying automations that improve NPS and reduce repeat contacts.
• Follow software design and DevOps practices such as continuous integration, test-driven development, and continuous and automated deployments.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience developing software solutions.
• Strong experience with Python (required).
• Building backends in C#, .NET, .NET Core is required.
• Experience with AI tools and AI-powered coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot) to accelerate development, automate repetitive tasks, and enhance code quality.
• Experience building applications in Amazon Web Services (ECS, Lambda, Glue Jobs, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, ELB, CloudFront, Route53) is required.
• Experience building web applications using modern web UI frameworks like Vue.js/React/Angular (preferably Vue.js).
• Experience implementing RESTful APIs and microservices.
• Hands-on experience with SQL and/or NoSQL databases (preferably MS SQL, DynamoDB, PostgreSQL).
• Experience with modern development practices including product design, requirement analysis, test driven development, and test automation.
• Experience in analysis, design, coding, and implementation of multi-tiered applications.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform, CFT, CDK.
• Experience working in a collaborative and agile environment such as Scrum.
• Ability and willingness to learn new technologies.
• Excellent listening, written, and verbal communication skills.

Good to Have:

• Knowledge of networking and authentication fundamentals (TCP/IP, TLS 1.2, SAML 2.0, OIDC)
• Experience with Java, Spring, and Spring Boot, or Node.
• AWS Certification
• Experience with DevOps engineering concepts and tools such as Docker, Kubernetes, Harness, Jenkins, Nexus, etc.
• Knowledge of APM tools such as NewRelic, Splunk or Google Looker Studio
• Exposure to Financial Services and Capital Markets domain

Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That's why we champion your wellness through a wide-range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health
  • 75% 401k match up to 7%
  • Stock Ownership Potential
  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission

• Physical Health
  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance

• Emotional Health
  • Trust-Based Time Off
  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Bonding Leave
  • Adoption Assistance
  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
  • Annual Education Stipend
  • Tuition Reimbursement

• Social Health
  • Charitable Matching Gifts program
  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program
  • Paid volunteering days
  • 15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range
$114,100.00 - 193,975.00 USD Annual
Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
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