Senior Principal Software Engineer

About the role

Are you passionate about building high-performing applications that shape the future of investing? We are looking for a Senior Principal Engineer to be a hands-on force behind Morningstar's Direct Advisory Suite, a flagship application on the Direct Platform. This suite empowers thousands of financial advisors by streamlining their workflows—from investment research and portfolio analysis to personalized financial planning and client reporting. You will play a critical role in designing, coding, and delivering the scalable, secure, and resilient systems that power the future of financial advice. This role requires a proven builder with deep expertise in modern software engineering and distributed SaaS systems. The ideal candidate has a strong track record of writing high-quality code, making pragmatic design decisions, and shipping enterprise-grade applications at scale. We are looking for someone execution-driven who thrives in solving complex technical challenges, can evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, and consistently drives delivery excellence. Extensive exposure to AI solutions is a must have. Experience in integrating with data providers, and expertise in Authentication and Authorization are desirable.

This role is based in our Chicago office and follows a hybrid schedule of at least 4 days onsite per week.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on Engineering & Delivery
• Design, implement, and ship critical features of Direct Advisory Suite that support advisor workflows such as research, portfolio analysis, proposal generation, and reporting.
• Write production-quality code across the stack, with a strong emphasis on reliability, scalability, and performance.
• Drive technical solutions from design through deployment, ensuring delivery timelines are met without compromising quality.
• Conduct design and code reviews, ensuring adherence to best practices, performance requirements, and security standards.
• Partner with QA and DevOps teams to build automated testing, deployment, and monitoring pipelines that ensure high system availability.

System Design & Architecture

Performance, Security & Compliance

Technical Thought Leadership

Collaboration

Qualifications

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That is 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 :

75% 401k match up to 7%

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

Trust-Based Time Off

Charitable Matching Gifts program

Total Cash Compensation Range

$143,250.00 - 257,850.00 USD Annual

Includes base salary and target incentive

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. While some positions are available as fully remote, we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis, typically three days 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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