Sr. Software Engineer I, Scala
Chicago, ILAll locationsChicago, ILChicago or Remote* Hybrid
$125,000–$175,000 a yearJobFig found this opening at its original source and checks that it remains available.
About the role
We are seeking a Sr. Software Engineer to join our Evaluation Services team. Our Evaluation Services business powers funded trader programs that give aspiring traders a pathway to professional trading capital. You will design, build, and maintain the Scala-based backend systems that power our auto-liquidation engine, risk evaluation, and trading services—the core systems our platform and partners depend on. You will own complex backend problems end-to-end and work alongside Trading Services Engineers, frontend engineers, QA, and solutions engineers to deliver high-quality, production-ready features in a fast-paced environment. We are seeking a Sr. Software Engineer to join our Evaluation Services team. You will design, build, and maintain the Scala-based backend systems that power our auto-liquidation engine, risk evaluation, and trading services—the core systems our platform and partners depend on. You will own complex backend problems end-to-end and work alongside Trading Services Engineers, frontend engineers, QA, and solutions engineers to deliver high-quality, production-ready features in a fast-paced environment.
What you'll bring
- 5+ years of backend software engineering experience building production systems that handle real-time data, concurrency, and high availability
- Strong, hands-on Scala expertise, including idiomatic Scala, functional patterns, testing with ScalaTest or similar tools, and comfort working in a large, existing Scala codebase
- Experience with actor-based concurrency models, such as Akka, Pekko, or equivalent technologies, including an understanding of supervision, message passing, and backpressure
- Solid relational database skills with PostgreSQL, including schema design, indexing, query optimization, and sound judgment about when to use JSONB versus a normalized structure
- Comfort with event-driven architectures, message buses such as Kafka or Pub/Sub, and asynchronous workflows
- Excellent troubleshooting skills, with the ability to read logs, trace requests across distributed systems, and isolate root causes under pressure
- Demonstrated ability to write clear technical specifications, scope work realistically, and identify risks early
- High standards for code, tests, documentation, and pull requests, along with a willingness to uphold those standards during code reviews
- Ability to think on your feet and adapt quickly when priorities shift or unexpected issues arise
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain backend tradeoffs to technical and non-technical audiences
- Self-starter who thrives in ambiguity and can manage multiple complex backend initiatives simultaneously
- Experience with trading platforms, fintech, or capital markets technology